A roadside bomb which exploded at a checkpoint on Monday near the Iranian embassy within Iraq's "Green Zone," killing three people. All three appear to be Westerners and most likely Americans, according to initial reports from Iraqi police sources. At least two others were also injured in the blast.
The powerful explosion, which could reportedly be heard several kilometers away, is believed to have targeted vehicles used most commonly used to transport local and foreign officials and contractors, according to Reuters.
Several foreign embassies, the offices of the United Nations and most US government offices are located in the "Green Zone" region of the blast, which stretches several square kilometers on the banks of the Tigris river in Baghdad.
Meanwhile, US sources reported that 37 Iraqi resistance fighters were killed in an early morning military offensive on Monday. The attack, according to military spokesmen, occured near the Iraqi-Syrian border, which has seen in recent weeks a surge in fighting as US troops attempt to thwart the passage of resistance fighters into Iraq from Syria's ill-guarded border.
Monday's violence comes as clashes between US forces and Iraqi resistance fighters persist ahead of the nation's upcoming parliamentary elections in December. Last month was considered one of the dealiest for US troops stationed in Iraq since the beginning of the US-lead invasion into Iraq in 2003.
© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
