Road blast kills six civilians

AN explosion on a road frequently used by British troops killed six civilians in the southern city of Basra yesterday as the American military detained about 20 people suspected of links to al-Qaida.

In Basra, a blast during the morning rush hour destroyed two cars on a road regularly used by British troops, witnesses said.

Soldiers immediately blocked off access to the site, and Iraqi police and hospital officials said six civilians died in the blast.

In Baghdad, the coalition military commander, Lt Gen Ricardo Sanchez, told reporters that the military had arrested about 20 people who may have been linked to al-Qaida but none had been confirmed as part of Osama bin Laden’s terror network.

“At one point, we had up to about 20 suspected al-Qaida members, but as we have continued to refine and interrogate, we have not been able to establish definitively that they were al-Qaida members,” Lt Gen Sanchez said.

American officials have said they suspect foreign volunteers, including some from al-Qaida, have slipped across the borders into Iraq to take part in a “holy war” against the US-led occupation.

However, a number of American commanders have said they were uncertain about the numbers of foreign fighters and their role in the insurgency.

Asked about foreign fighters, Lt Gen Sanchez said “hundreds” of foreigners cross the border area to carry out attacks here. When asked how close US forces had been to capturing Saddam Hussein, he replied: “Not close enough.”

American commanders have speculated that they are facing attacks from Saddam supporters, religious extremists and foreign fighters. American officials have said at least some of the attacks may have been orchestrated by Saddam’s former deputy Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, who may have forged an alliance with the Kurdish religious extremist group Ansar al-Islam.

Ansar al-Islam is believed to have ties to al-Qaida.

It was unclear whether Sanchez was referring to Ansar fighters when he said the Americans were holding al-Qaida suspects.