Seven Ukrainian soldiers and one Kazakh serving with the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq were killed in an explosion Sunday while loading bombs that could be used by warplanes, officials said. Lt. Col. Artur Domanski, a Polish military spokesman in Iraq, said the explosion occurred at about noon at an ammunition dump about 6 miles south of Suwaira. Eleven soldiers were wounded _ seven Ukrainians and four Kazakhs, he said. An investigation is underway to determine what sparked the blast, Domanski said. "We don't know the reason of the explosion, but as a result seven Ukrainian soldiers and a Kazakh were killed and 11 soldiers were wounded," he said.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry said soldiers were loading aviation bombs when one of the devices exploded. A spokesman said he had no further details. Ukraine serves in a Polish-led contingent in south central Iraq and is the fourth-largest contributor of troops to the U.S.-led war effort with 1,650 soldiers. Kazakhstan has sent a 27-strong contingent of military engineers to Iraq and is the only Central Asian nation to contribute troops to forces there. Ukraine Defense Minister Oleksandr Kuzmuk, who visited the troops to celebrate Orthodox Christmas last week, has said that Ukraine planned a complete withdrawal by year's end. The deployment is unpopular in the former Soviet republic. |