Blast kills 18 Iraqi boys in park

A car bomb exploded near a park west of Baghdad today, killing at least 18 boys, police said.

The blast occurred in central Ramadi, a hotbed of the Sunni insurgency, near an area popular for soccer.

The victims were boys aged 10 to 15, police said.

The city is about 70 miles west of Baghdad.

The bomb-rigged car blew apart at about 4:15pm (1.15pm) while the boys were playing.

It was not immediately known if the children were the intended targets, but young people are often caught in Iraq’s daily bloodshed.

On Sunday, more than 40 people – mostly college students – were killed in a bombing outside a mostly Shiite college in Baghdad.

In July 2005, a suicide bombing in Baghdad killed 27 people, including 18 children and an American soldier.