Baghdad car bomb hits civilian convoy

A roadside bomb exploded on the road leading to Baghdad’s airport this morning, heavily damaging three SUVs carrying civilians, police said.

No casualties were immediately reported, but one of the sports utility vehicles was consumed by flames and white smoke rose from another one, said police Captain Hamid Ali.

All three appeared to have been blown off the road by the impact of the explosion,witnesses said.

The road was closed by US forces and at least one US military helicopter circled overhead, according to the witnesses.

A US military spokesman confirmed a car bomb explosion had occurred in Baghdad and was being investigated, but he declined to name the location or provide details.

Insurgents often use roadside bombs and suicide car bombs to attack US military and civilian convoys on the road, one of the most dangerous in the capital.