17 die in Iraqi blast
2005-01-02 10:39
Baghdad - Nineteen people were killed in a car bomb attack on Sunday on a bus carrying members of the Iraqi national guard near the town of Balad, north of Baghdad, the US military said.
"Sixteen Iraqi national guard soldiers and one Iraqi civilian were killed... when anti-Iraqi forces detonated a vehicle borne-improvised explosive device next to a bus at 08:00," said US spokesperson Master Sergeant Robert Powell, adding that two more national guardsmen died later of their wounds.
Six national guardsmen were also wounded in the attack, he said.
The dead civilian was identified as a woman standing on the roadside, Powell added.
Insurgents have mounted a series of attacks on Iraqi security forces north of Baghdad ahead of the January 30 national elections. More than 100 Iraqis have been killed since Tuesday in attacks aimed at intimidating Iraqi police and national guard.
- SAPA