At least six Iraqis were killed and several wounded on Tuesday when a civilian bus hit a roadside bomb in the southern port city of Basra, Iraqi police said. Body parts were seen scattered in the area.
British forces, who control the city could have been the target, as the bomb was planted on a road frequently used by them.
Elsewhere, U.S. occupation authorities acknowledged that its soldiers shot and killed a local Baghdad official in Sadr City.
The shooting of a U.S.-backed official in in an area home to as many as two million Shiites and has been a source of troubles for the Americans was sure to inflame the critics of the U.S. presence in Iraq.
Mohannad Ghazi al Kaabi, the top municipal official for Sadr City, died from wounds Sunday after troops shot him when he refused to follow "security procedures" for entering Sadr City's municipal building, the U.S. military said in a statement.
"During the altercation, a shot was fired, wounding Mohannad in the lower extremities," the U.S. military said in a statement, adding that an investigation had been launched.
In Baghdad, two policemen and four prisoners were injured Tuesday when a bomb exploded outside a courthouse in the eastern Rassafah district, a police officer said.
"The explosion happened at 1:15 pm (1015 GMT). Two policemen and four prisoners were wounded. The bomb was placed right infront of the courthouse," said policeman Saddam Abed Ali.
Meanwhile, the top U.S. general in the Middle East is warning of a get-tough campaign against Iraqi resistance fighters if attacks against occupation forces are not halted. These words came from the mayor of Fallujah, one of several Iraqi leaders who met with American General John Abizaid on Saturday.
U.S. forces had eased off on raids during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which started in late October. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
