19 Jan 2011

Gunfire kills three in Iraq after Asian Cup win

8:45 am on 19 January 2011

Celebratory gunfire following football-mad Iraq's crucial Asian Cup triumph over the United Arab Emirates over the weekend killed three people and left 24 others wounded.

Shots were fired into the air in several Iraqi cities immediately after the final whistle blew in the national side's 1-0 victory over the UAE, despite government warnings in recent months against such shows of joy.

Police say the gunfire killed three people and wounded 10 others in the central province of Diyala, while 11 were injured in Baghdad and three in the northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk.