Bomb explosion kills two in Iraq

A bomb exploded near a pipeline in northern Iraq, killing two Iraqi Civil Defence Corps members and wounding 10 others, US officials said.

They did not know if the pipeline was damaged.

In Baghdad, Iraqi police found a car packed with explosives in the Iraqi capital and arrested a Syrian who confessed to having rigged it, according to Iraqi officials.

Another bomb was found near the same location and was detonated safely.

The incidents occurred as international representatives gathered in Madrid, Spain, for a conference to raise money for Iraqi reconstruction.

US and Iraqi officials pleaded for billions to rebuild the nation.

The explosion occurred south of Qayarrah, about 150 miles north of Baghdad. The Iraqi guards were helping secure pipelines which have been the target of sabotage frequently.

In Baghdad, the explosives were found in a Toyota in the Ad-Doura district after police said they received a tip from an informant.

Iraqi policeman Sahir Shakr said the driver was arrested. The suspect, believed to be in his early 20s, told police he had been given money to do it, according to 2nd Lt Mustafa al-Obeidi.

A homemade bomb was also discovered near the same area in Ad-Doura, police and witnesses said.

The improvised bomb, fashioned out of an artillery or tank shell, was found outside the nearby An-Nahada secondary school and destroyed by US troops.

In Mosul in the north, troops from the 101st Airborne Division opened fire at four Iraqis that attacked one of their compounds by rocket-propelled grenades, killing two and injuring a third.

The fourth escaped. There were no casualties among US forces.

US soldiers have been facing increasing guerrilla-style attacks with roadside bombs, small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.

US officials have alleged that an influx of foreign fighters from neighbouring Syria and Iran has moved into Iraq to join Saddam Hussein loyalists against coalition troops.