Homemade bomb kills U.S. soldier in Baghdad
Later, at least one blast erupts near Palestine Hotel
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Iraqi civil defense soldiers patrol in front of Ibn Taimiyah Sunni mosque in Baghdad on Monday.
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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- At least two explosions ripped through different parts of Baghdad on Monday, with one killing a U.S. soldier and the other apparently targeting journalists.
A U.S. soldier was killed and two others wounded by a homemade bomb that went off in central Baghdad, the 1st Armored Division said.
All three were soldiers of the division. The attack took place about 10 a.m. (3 a.m. ET) and is under investigation, according to a statement from the 1st Armored Division. No other details of the attack were released.
According to Pentagon and Central Command figures, 357 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq since President Bush declared the end of major combat operations May 1. Of those, 228 lost their lives in hostile activities, according to the military.
Monday night, at least one loud explosion erupted near the Palestine Hotel, witnesses said. The blast or blasts, which occurred at 10:35 p.m. (2:35 p.m. ET), seemed to come from a site 300-700 meters from the hotel, where many international journalists stay.
One journalist who had been on the 15th floor of the 17-story hotel at the time of the blast said he heard the whoosh of a projectile flying past.
Private security guards manning concrete blast barricades around the hotel and charged with protecting U.S. contractors staying in the hotel said they heard two explosions.
It was not immediately clear whether rockets or mortars caused the blast or blasts.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Such explosions around hotels frequented by journalists have been common in recent weeks, perhaps because the presence of journalists ensures instant and wide media coverage, often regardless of the size of the blast.
Not going home, yet
The Pentagon plans to announce this week that as many as 1,500 U.S. troops in Iraq will have their one-year tour of duty extended, CNN has learned.
The additional time will range from a few days to 60 days.
The extensions are the result of transportation and other logistical issues involved in the rotation of 110,000 fresh troops into Iraq, as 120,000 troops return to their home bases, according to Pentagon sources.
Some troops may have to wait in Kuwait a few extra days for transportation home. Other troops with critical specialties, such as civil affairs, may have to stay on duty until their replacements can be fully trained, the sources said.
Pentagon officials said the original rotation plan may have meant delays for as many as 5,000 troops from when they expected to leave. But the Army worked extensively to reduce the number of troops affected.
The Pentagon has publicly promised to limit tours inside Iraq to one year.
Alleged money men nabbed
On Sunday, coalition forces in Mosul captured several people suspected of aiding "high-value targets" -- members of the former regime on the coalition's list of most-wanted Iraqis.
Several of those who remain at large are believed to be planning or funding attacks on coalition elements. Forty-three of the 55 people on the most-wanted list are either in custody or dead; two others are believed dead.
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt said a raid at a hotel in central Mosul netted a man believed to be a facilitator for former Republican Guard commander Sayf Hasan al-Rawi, No. 14 on the most-wanted list and the jack of clubs in the deck of cards issued to troops to help identify the wanted figures.
Kimmitt said another Mosul operation grabbed four brothers suspected of distributing funds for Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri -- the highest ranking member of the former regime still at large.
Al-Douri is No. 6 on the coalition's list and the king of clubs in the deck of cards.
British officer resigns
The British officer noted for a stirring eve-of-battle speech last year to troops preparing to fight in Iraq has resigned, the Ministry of Defense has confirmed.
Col. Tim Collins, 43, was widely praised when he told his soldiers to "wipe them out if that is what they choose. But if you are ferocious in battle, remember to be magnanimous in victory." (Full story)
The Mail on Sunday quoted Collins' wife, Caroline, as saying he was disillusioned with changes in the armed forces.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Tony Blair again has insisted that he was right to take military action in Iraq based on intelligence that Saddam Hussein, the former president, had weapons of mass destruction. No such weapons have been found.
"It may well not be surprising that you don't find where this stuff is hidden," he told the BBC. "I received this intelligence, and I believe it would have been irresponsible not to have acted upon it." (Full story)
Other developments
• The U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division said Monday that its soldiers, acting on tip from an Iraqi civilian, had broken up an apparent attempt to steal oil from an Iraqi pipeline south of Samarra, a town between Tikrit and Baghdad. An attempt to capture the suspects failed when they opened fire on U.S. troops. The soldiers returned fire, killing seven. The rest of the 40 armed men fled.
• Coalition officials said Monday that a prominent Shiite cleric's call for immediate direct elections is "a healthy sign," but the coalition and the Iraqi Governing Council are moving forward with plans for a caucus-elected National Assembly to assume full sovereignty by June 30. A newspaper ad by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Iraq's foremost Shiite cleric, said, "We want the elections to be popular and free; that is not by appointment."
• In his annual State of the World address, Pope John Paul II -- who was critical of the U.S.-led invasion -- said Monday that Iraq has been "ridded from an oppressive regime." (Full story)
CNN's Ram Ramgopal contributed to this report.
