Ten die in Sadr City blast
2008-06-24 22:37
Baghdad - A bomb exploded inside a municipal building in Sadr City on Tuesday, killing 10 people, including four Americans working to restore civil government in the former Shi'ite militia stronghold.
Iraqi officials said it appeared to be an inside job and suspicion fell on the local Shi'ite guard force for the
blast - the second deadly attack to strike Americans working with local governments in as many days.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called it "a terrible reminder of the dangers that our colleagues face daily in advancing our critical foreign policy goals".
US troops captured a suspect who tested positive for explosive residue after fleeing the scene, the military said. It blamed Shi'ite extremists for the attack.
The bomb exploded in the deputy council chief's office where members of the group and the Americans were gathering about half an hour before a weekly meeting at which a new chairperson was to be elected, officials said.
The district council headquarters is in a heavily guarded southern section of Sadr City that is surrounded by a US-built concrete wall and is largely controlled by US and Iraqi troops following weeks of fighting in the area amid a government crackdown against the militias.
While US-backed Iraqi security forces have gained control of much of Sadr City - a sprawling impoverished area that houses some 2.5 million people, or about a third of Baghdad's population - the Americans have largely limited their activities to the southern section.
- AP