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Baghdad blast kills 6, slightly wounds vice president
A blast at an Iraqi ministry building killed six people and slightly wounded Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi during a ceremony on Monday, police and a senior political source said.Abdul-Mahdi, a Shi'ite, was taken to hospital for "routine checks" after suffering minor wounds in the blast inside a hall of the Public Works Ministry building in central Baghdad. "We know he has been sent to hospital but it's a natural checkup," the source, from Iraq's governing Shi'ite Alliance, told Reuters. Police said 31 people were wounded in the blast. Other officials, including the minister, were also present. Earlier, a spokesman for Abdul-Mahdi's office said he was not hurt and was back at his office in the heavily fortified Green Zone compound, the location of some government buildings and the U.S. embassy. The Public Works Ministry is outside the compound. An employee who witnessed the blast said he had seen four dead bodies and that he had thrown himself on top of the Public Works Minister at the time of the blast. As the employee spoke, the sounds of shouting could be heard in the background. It was unclear if the attack was an assassination attempt. Iraq's top leaders are often targeted by militants. Two police sources said it was unclear what caused the blast. Insurgents have increasingly been using suicide vests to carry out attacks because of tighter checks on roads aimed at reducing car bombings. The attack in which Abdul-Mahdi was hurt came with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in Jordan where he undergoing medical tests after suffering extreme exhaustion and dehydration. Posted by: ryuge 2007-02-26 |
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