Seven killed in attack on Baghdad Green Zone

A resident stands next to his wounded son in a hospital after a bomb attack in Baghdad's Shula district. (Reuters)

A suicide bomber on Monday killed seven people when he blew his vehicle up at an entrance to Baghdad’s heavily secured Green Zone, which protects Iraqi government offices and the U.S. embassy, officials said.

The attacker drove to the entrance situated at the July 14 bridge across the Tigris River before triggering the explosives, security officials said.

Medics and security officials put the initial toll at seven dead and at least 24 people injured.

from AL ARABIYA
Monday, 17 September 2012 

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from REUTERS:
BAGHDAD | Mon Sep 17, 2012 7:43am BST
(Reporting by Kareem Raheem and Ahmed Rasheed Writing by Sylvia Westall; Editing by Louise Ireland)

(Reuters) - A suicide car bomber killed four Iraqis and wounded 11 others close to an entrance to Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, where several Western embassies are located, three police sources said on Monday.

The central area, known officially as the International Zone, houses diplomatic missions including the U.S. embassy.

The blast was near Baghdad's July 14th suspension bridge which leads into the zone. Two of the four killed were soldiers, the sources said.

"Cars were lining up waiting to be searched at the checkpoint that leads to the Green Zone and suddenly a speeding car exploded nearby," said one police source whose patrol was stationed near the scene of the attack scene.

"Some people died inside cars and I saw two soldiers lying on the ground. We immediately closed the area," the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

The last attacks in the capital occurred on September 9 when a series of bombs in mainly Shi'ite Baghdad districts ended one of the bloodiest days of the year with more than 100 killed across the country.

Posted in: Baghdad, Green Zone, Iraq, Shia Islam