Eight dead, 50 injured, in Baghdad bomb attack

A car bomb exploded at an entrance to the Green Zone, a heavily fortified area on the west bank of the Tigris River that is home to the US Embassy and Iraqi government buildings, causing an unspecified number of casualties, a military spokesman said.

Eight people are reported killed and 50 wounded in a car bomb attack today at an entrance to Baghdad’s Green Zone, a heavily fortified area on the west bank of the Tigris River that is home to the US Embassy and Iraqi government buildings.

Less than an hour later, a second blast ripped through Baghdad’s central Saadoun Street. It was not immediately clear what was targeted.

The first explosion happened just before 9am (6am Irish time) and caused a number of civilian casualties, said Maj. Phil Smith, a spokesman for the US 1st Cavalry Division. He had no immediate figures. No coalition forces were believed killed, he said.

Officials at Yarmouk Hospital said eight people had died and 50 were wounded in the explosion.

The second explosion happened at 9.45am (6.45am Irish time), near a number of major hotels. Bursts of gunfire were heard after the blast and thick black smoke rose from the scene.

A pair of helicopters circled the area, and troops blocked off the road.

Both the Green Zone and the area around Saadoun Street have been the target of previous suicide attacks that have killed dozens of people.

Insurgents have been waging a 17-month campaign to undermine the US-backed interim government and drive the United States and its allies from Iraq.