Two killed in attack on Baghdad governor's convoy

An explosion targeted the Baghdad governor’s convoy as he was travelling through the Iraqi capital today, killing two people but leaving him uninjured, the Interior Ministry said.

Governor Ali al-Haidri said three of his bodyguards were hurt in the attack in the east Baghdad neighbourhood of Hay al-Adel.

“The people behind this attack want to hurt Iraq and to hinder the progress in this country,” he said.

Earlier, Interior Ministry spokesman Col Adnan Abdel Rahman said that a car bomb caused the blast, but al-Haidri said it was a roadside bomb.

Gunmen opened fire on the convoy seconds before the explosion, Rahman said, in an apparent attempt to force the convoy off the road in the direction of the bomb.

Witnesses said one vehicle was damaged and that several bloodied bodies were lying on the road.