Skip to main content
Search
Services
WORLD
Iraq Transition

Suicide bomber kills 10 in assault on governor

Authorities find another 20 bodies showing signs of torture

story.baghdad.tue.afp.gi.jpg
Iraqi civilians surround a minibus bombed Tuesday near a market in central Baghdad.

RELATED

SPECIAL REPORT

• Interactive: Who's who in Iraq
• Interactive: Sectarian divide

YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS

Iraq
Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Ten civilians were killed Tuesday when a suicide car bomber attacked a convoy carrying the governor of Anbar province, a U.S. military source said.

Gov. Mamoun Sami Rashid was unharmed and returned to work at the governor's compound in Ramadi after the attack.

The source said an earlier report from a hospital official that three bodyguards were killed was inaccurate.

The suicide bomber detonated a taxi near the convoy, which included U.S. Marine Humvees.

Three vehicles belonging to the governor's personal security detachment and four civilian vehicles near the scene were destroyed, the source said.

Six people were wounded, including three bodyguards and a Marine who has since returned to his unit.

Marines regularly escort the governor to and from work in Ramadi, the source said. At least 29 attempts have been made against his life in the past nine months, including Tuesday's attack, according to the source.

20 bodies found

Iraqi authorities found 20 unidentified bodies -- all shot in the head and showing signs of torture -- in various Baghdad neighborhoods Tuesday, Iraqi police said. Some were blindfolded.

Twelve bodies -- all Sunni Arabs also shot and with signs of torture -- were found over the weekend, police said.

Since the February 22 bombing of the Askariya Mosque in Samarra compounded the tension between Sunnis and Shiites, more than 140 bodies have been found in the same condition in neighborhoods in and around Baghdad.

Iraqi authorities reported finding 53 shot and tortured bodies in April and 65 in March. Police blame sectarian violence.

Ambulance driver shot dead

Five Iraqis were killed Tuesday in Baghdad, including an ambulance driver shot by U.S. private security contractors, a Baghdad emergency police official said.

The ambulance driver was killed after a roadside bomb exploded near a convoy and the private security contractors opened fire in the Waziriya neighborhood in northern Baghdad.

According to Reuters, another ambulance crew member said, "We were taking a case to the hospital when a bomb went off close to a convoy of Americans that was passing.

"They opened fire and shot him in the heart. We are an ambulance crew, who help people when there are bombings. What did we do wrong?"

An Iraqi official told Reuters a damaged SUV was left behind by the contractors.

Also Tuesday, two people were killed and five others wounded when a bomb exploded inside a minibus around midday in the Shorja shopping area of central Baghdad.

In the Bayaa neighborhood in southwestern Baghdad, a roadside bomb killed one civilian and wounded four others.

In the Baladiyat neighborhood in eastern Baghdad, a roadside bomb killed one person and wounded another when it struck a civilian car.

Coalition forces kill 10 during raid

Coalition forces searching Tuesday for an unnamed al Qaeda terrorist leader killed 10 suspected foreign fighters during a pre-dawn raid in a remote area north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.

Three terrorists were wearing suicide vests. They included a guard who was shot after he awoke and pointed a pistol at troops sneaking up on the suspected safe house, according to a news release. After being wounded, the guard detonated his bomb, the military said.

In the ensuing firefight, seven terrorists were killed as they ran outside the house and two others died inside the home.

One other terrorist was injured and evacuated to a hospital in Balad. The military did not say if the primary suspect was among the casualties.

The safe house -- about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Balad -- was destroyed after the raid.

The release said no coalition troops were wounded in the initial explosion.

German hostages freed

Two German engineers were freed Tuesday after 16 weeks in captivity in Iraq, a German foreign ministry spokeswoman said.

Rene Braunlich and Thomas Nitzschke were abducted January 24 from an oil refinery complex north of Baghdad.

They are expected back in Germany on Wednesday, the official said. (Full story)

CNN's Arwa Damon, Cal Perry, Barbara Starr and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.

Story Tools
Subscribe to Time for $1.99 cover
Top Stories
Get up-to-the minute news from CNN
CNN.com gives you the latest stories and video from the around the world, with in-depth coverage of U.S. news, politics, entertainment, health, crime, tech and more.
Top Stories
Get up-to-the minute news from CNN
CNN.com gives you the latest stories and video from the around the world, with in-depth coverage of U.S. news, politics, entertainment, health, crime, tech and more.
Search JobsMORE OPTIONS


 
Search
© 2007 Cable News Network.
A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. Site Map.
Offsite Icon External sites open in new window; not endorsed by CNN.com
Pipeline Icon Pay service with live and archived video. Learn more
Radio News Icon Download audio news  |  RSS Feed Add RSS headlines