Iraq bomb hits French convoy, seven hurt

A French embassy convoy in Iraq was hit by a roadside bomb in Baghdad on Monday, wounding at least seven people and underscoring the still shaky security situation in the capital, local security sources said.

Details about the attack were unclear, but at least seven people were wounded when the convoy was hit in the central part of the city, the sources said.

An embassy spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

A witness said one of the cars in the convoy was badly damaged along with two civilian cars.

Violence has eased in Iraq since the heights of the sectarian slaughter in 2006-2007, but an al Qaeda-linked Sunni insurgency and rival Shi'ite militia continue daily roadside bombings, mortar attacks and killings.

Eight years after the US invasion, the last American troops are scheduled to leave Iraq at the end of this year. US and Iraqi forces say they expect an uptick in attacks as militia groups try to show they are pressuring Washington to leave.