A wave of attacks and explosions in Iraq killed 50 people on Tuesday and officials delayed provincial polls, highlighting security concerns on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the US-led invasion. At least 20 explosions and two assassinations also left more than 170 people wounded in the country's bloodiest day in more than six months, reflecting the brutal unrest and endless political crises that were sparked by an invasion that had aimed to build a democratic ally in the heart of the Middle East.

Separate gun attacks north of Baghdad killed 12 security members -- eight soldiers and four militiamen -- Friday, a second deadly day in Iraq as it nears the 10th anniversary since the US-led invasion. The violence comes a day after a string of coordinated bombings and a brazen assault on a ministry complex in the capital left 18 people dead, with barely a month to go before the country holds its first elections in three years.

A coordinated string of bombings and a brazen assault on a ministry near Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone have killed 18 people, adding to the 120,000 Iraq war victims tallied in a new study. The conflict has cost the lives of at least 116,000 Iraqi civilians and more than 4,800 coalition troops between the outbreak of war in 2003 and the US withdrawal in 2011, US researchers estimated on Friday.

SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - Two militants hiding automatic rifles and grenades in cricket kit opened fire on a paramilitary camp on the Indian side of Kashmir on Wednesday, killing five Indian personnel and wounding five, police said. The militants were killed in a gunfight at the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) base just outside the restive city of Srinagar, which has been under curfew for much of the last few weeks following protests and clashes with police.