A suicide bomber in northern Iraq killed himself and an Iraqi child and wounded more than 50 people, including six US personnel, according to local people and the US Military on Wednesday.The US Military also announced the deaths of two American soldiers, killed by makeshift bombs in Baghdad.In the fifth vehicle bomb attack in Iraq in as many weeks, a four-wheel drive stopped suddenly in front of a house in the Kurdish city of Arbil on Tuesday evening and exploded with the driver inside, residents said.They said the house was used by US Intelligence agents. A military spokeswoman initially said it had been a ‘‘safehouse’’. Later, military press officers became tight-lipped, confirming little more than that the blast had taken place.Locals said the bomber had died. A Kurdish official said a five-year-old child had also died from injuries inflicted by the blast.Forty-seven Iraqis were wounded, the US Military spokeswoman said in Baghdad. She said six personnel of Defence Department had also been injured but had no details on whether they were civilians or soldiers.A Polish-led force responsible for South-Central Iraq said it planned to take over Najaf on September 21 from US Marines, who postponed the handover after the bombing there in an effort to keep a lid on tensions in the city.A US General said the handover could take place even sooner — ‘‘I would hope by the end of the week,’’ Lt Gen James Conway, who handed the rest of the Marines zone to a Polish commander last week, told a Pentagon briefing.The US is seeking 15,000 more soldiers from other nations as well as reconstruction funds to back its own commitment of 130,000 soldiers and billions of dollars.Meanwhile, Iraq’s US-appointed Governing Council said on Wednesday it opposes the arrival of more foreign troops to boost the American-led occupation.‘‘Our Council does not welcome receiving any troops but rather the embarking of troops from Iraq,’’ Ahmed Chalabi, the holder of the Council’s rotating chairmanship, told reporters when asked about Washington’s desire for reinforcement.‘‘We will not invite any troops. Our ultimate aim is to restore sovereignty to our land,’’ he said in Arabic.UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has asked foreign ministers of the five permanent Security Council members to meet in Geneva on Saturday to bridge their differences on Iraq.
