| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq-Jordan |
| Police targeted in deadly Samarra attacks |
| 2004-11-07 |
| Four car bombs and attacks on three police stations in the central Iraqi town of Samarra have left at least 37 people dead and 62 wounded. A health official said 23 people, including nine policemen, were killed and 40 wounded, among them 17 policemen, in the first three bomb explosions on Saturday in the town north of Baghdad. The fourth blast occurred at 12:30pm (0930 GMT) when a bomber rammed a car into a police station, killing 10 Iraqi police officers and wounding five, police said. The local commander of the Iraqi rapid reaction force, Brigadier Abd al-Razzaq al-Jarmin, was among the dead in the first two blasts near the town hall and a nearby checkpoint. Samarra's mayor, Major General Tariq Uwaid, was wounded. "I saw a car trying to reach the town hall," bookshop owner Muhammad Ahmad said. "When police stopped it, it exploded." Police said anti-US forces carried out simultaneous attacks on three police stations in Samarra, north of Baghdad, killing four policemen, wounding 17 and capturing 10. Another car bomb exploded later, targeting a US convoy that was trying to reach the scene of the first two bombings, police said. They had no word on casualties in that attack. A US military spokesman gave no information about the attack. "I cannot confirm at this stage if there was any attack on an MNF (multinational force) convoy or checkpoint in Samarra." Witnesses said US troops opened fire amid chaotic scenes in the city centre, hitting some cars. Rescue services could not immediately reach them to evacuate any casualties. |
| Posted by:Fred |