Baghdad rocked by bomb blast and gunfires again

Baghdad -- A bomb blast on the Sunni mosque which is north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad has killed at least 12 worshippers and wounded many more.

The incident took place after Friday prayers in the town of Hibhib. It was in this town that a US air strike killed the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,this month.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki plans to unveil his government's plan to persuade insurgents to lay down their arms, by offering an amnesty to some who agree to reject violence.

The proposal is being described as a comprehensive political, military, economic and social plan aimed at bringing insurgents into the political process.

Following the blast, a gunfire round also took place; Iraqi and U.S. forces who rushed to the area became involved in the fighting as reported by police sources.

After the bomb attack and the gunfire crackles in central Baghdad, Maliki imposed a curfew banning people and cars from the streets from 2 p.m. until 6 a.m. on Saturday. However, it was lifted two hours after it was declared.

Gen. Abdul Aziz Mohammed, operations chief at the Defense Ministry said the curfew was a response to the fighting.

Three Iraqi policemen and five Iraqi army soldiers have been wounded.