TROOPS IN AS BOMBS STRIKE BAGHDAD !
US and Iraqi forces are preparing for a security drive in Baghdad. More than 3,000 US troops have arrived in Baghdad, the first deployment of extra forces promised for the Iraqi capital by US President George W Bush.
The deployment came as seven people were killed by two bombings in Baghdad.
A bomb on a minibus killed six people in Karrada, a mostly Shia district. The second bomb hit central Baghdad.
The arrival of the extra US troops came a day after one of the deadliest days for the US military in Iraq in recent months, with 17 soldiers killed.
On Sunday, a British soldier was killed by a roadside bomb near the southern city of Basra.
We pulled out three charred bodies, and badly injured people were taken to the hospital by a pickup car
Karrada eyewitnessMeanwhile the political movement headed by radical Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has said it is ending a two-month boycott of Iraq's parliament and government.
The boycott was called in protest at a meeting between Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and President Bush and to press for the withdrawal from Iraq of US troops.
Mr Maliki is politically dependent on support from Mr Sadr's bloc, but he has vowed to crack down on Mr Sadr's Mehdi Army as part of the planned US-led security drive in Baghdad.
The 3,200 extra troops sent to Baghdad are the advance guard of a 21,500-strong deployment ordered by President Bush earlier this month.
'Big explosion'
The Associated Press said the bombed minibus in Baghdad was ferrying passengers to Karrada when the explosion occurred at 0815 (0515 GMT), shattering the windows of nearby shops.
The bomb may have been left in a bag by a passenger getting off the bus, police said, although there were reports that it was a suicide bombing.
Faris Mahdi, who works in a nearby shop, told AP: "We had just arrived to open our shop when we heard the sound of a big explosion and saw a fire in a small bus.
"We pulled out three charred bodies, and badly injured people were taken to the hospital by a pickup car."
The extra US troops being sent to Baghdad are meant to bolster Iraqi effort to combat the continuing bombings, killings and sectarian violence.
Mr Bush has admitted that the battle for Baghdad will prove crucial to the outcome of the conflict in Iraq, but his plans are opposed by political rivals in the US.
In Saturday's violence, a US military helicopter came down outside Baghdad, killing all 12 people on board.
It is not known what caused the helicopter to crash.
In a separate incident, the US said five of its soldiers were killed in a clash with militants in the Shia holy city of Karbala as pilgrims began gathering for the Shia mourning period of Ashura.
The deployment came as seven people were killed by two bombings in Baghdad.
A bomb on a minibus killed six people in Karrada, a mostly Shia district. The second bomb hit central Baghdad.
The arrival of the extra US troops came a day after one of the deadliest days for the US military in Iraq in recent months, with 17 soldiers killed.
On Sunday, a British soldier was killed by a roadside bomb near the southern city of Basra.
We pulled out three charred bodies, and badly injured people were taken to the hospital by a pickup car
Karrada eyewitnessMeanwhile the political movement headed by radical Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has said it is ending a two-month boycott of Iraq's parliament and government.
The boycott was called in protest at a meeting between Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and President Bush and to press for the withdrawal from Iraq of US troops.
Mr Maliki is politically dependent on support from Mr Sadr's bloc, but he has vowed to crack down on Mr Sadr's Mehdi Army as part of the planned US-led security drive in Baghdad.
The 3,200 extra troops sent to Baghdad are the advance guard of a 21,500-strong deployment ordered by President Bush earlier this month.
'Big explosion'
The Associated Press said the bombed minibus in Baghdad was ferrying passengers to Karrada when the explosion occurred at 0815 (0515 GMT), shattering the windows of nearby shops.
The bomb may have been left in a bag by a passenger getting off the bus, police said, although there were reports that it was a suicide bombing.
Faris Mahdi, who works in a nearby shop, told AP: "We had just arrived to open our shop when we heard the sound of a big explosion and saw a fire in a small bus.
"We pulled out three charred bodies, and badly injured people were taken to the hospital by a pickup car."
The extra US troops being sent to Baghdad are meant to bolster Iraqi effort to combat the continuing bombings, killings and sectarian violence.
Mr Bush has admitted that the battle for Baghdad will prove crucial to the outcome of the conflict in Iraq, but his plans are opposed by political rivals in the US.
In Saturday's violence, a US military helicopter came down outside Baghdad, killing all 12 people on board.
It is not known what caused the helicopter to crash.
In a separate incident, the US said five of its soldiers were killed in a clash with militants in the Shia holy city of Karbala as pilgrims began gathering for the Shia mourning period of Ashura.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
posted by jackaranda at 3:36 pm
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