The U.S. military says the number of insurgent attacks in Iraq has fallen to the lowest level in nearly six years.
A U.S. military spokesman, Major General David Perkins, told reporters in Baghdad Wednesday that there were fewer attacks in the last several months than there have been since August 2003, a few months after the U.S.-led invasion of the country began.
He says the violence has dropped dramatically in the last two years, with the number of insurgent attacks declining 90 percent since mid-2007, when the unrest was at its height.
But military officials acknowledge that daily attacks continue in some areas.
Iraqi police say a roadside bombing in the northern city of Mosul killed three children on their way home from school. The blast is believed to have targeted a nearby U.S. military patrol.
On Wednesday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem praised improving security conditions in Iraq, during a visit to the country. Muallem met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.