March 8 (Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq as of 1200 GMT on Thursday: * denotes a new or updated item. * MOSUL - A car bomb targeting a police patrol killed two policemen and wounded seven civilians in the northern city of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said. * SHIRQAT - Gunmen killed two policemen when they attacked a police checkpoint in the town of Shirqat, south of Mosul, police said. * BALAD - Gunmen opened fire at an army checkpoint, killing two soldiers and wounding three others in the town of Balad, 80 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad, police said. * BALAD - Gunmen killed an Iraqi soldier on Wednesday in the town of Balad, police said. * HAWIJA - Gunmen killed two Iraqi soldiers in a drive-by shooting in the town of Hawija, police said. MOSUL - U.S. forces killed seven insurgents and arrested six others during an operation while targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq, the U.S. military said. MOSUL - Police arrested 42 prisoners on Wednesday who were among around 140 prisoners freed by militants from Badoush prison on Tuesday in the northern city of Mosul, police said. BAGHDAD - Iraqi soldiers killed four insurgents and arrested 176 suspected insurgents during the last 24 hours in different parts of Iraq, the Defence Ministry said. DHULUIYA - Dozens of militants stormed two police stations and confiscated all the weapons there and kidnapped a policeman in the town of Dhuluiya, 80 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad, local police said. HAWIJA - A roadside bomb killed two civilians in the town of Hawija, 70 km (40 miles) southwest of Baghdad, police said. HAWIJA - Gunmen killed a man in the town of Hawija, police said.
