Roadside Bomb Kills 15 In Baghdad

An Iraqi soldier at the site of a roadside bombing on 7 February (file photo) (epa) 13 February 2006 -- At least 15 people were killed today in Baghdad when a blast ripped through a crowd lining up outside a bank.

Police said the people were waiting for the bank to distribute money in exchange for government ration vouchers that people use to buy food. The U.S. military said the blast was caused by a roadside bomb.

Also in Baghdad, a bomb detonated next to the convoy of former Electricity Minister Ayham Samarra'i, injuring four people.

Six other Iraqis were killed in incidents around the country. Officials say gunmen shot dead four men early in the morning in the city of Ba'qubah. South of Baghdad, in the town of Iskandiriyah, a roadside bomb killed two police officers.

The trial of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein adjourned today and is scheduled to resume tomorrow. Hussein and seven co-defendants face charges over the 1982 killing of 148 people in the village of Al-Dujayl.

(AFP, AP, Reuters)