Al-Najaf Car Bomb Kills Three

25 December 2004 -- At least three people were killed and two wounded in a car-bomb attack in Iraq today on the road between the holy Shi'a cities of Al-Najaf and Karbala.
The attack came after Iraqi police announced that nine people died and 14 were seriously injured yesterday after a gas-tanker explosion in Baghdad.

That blast occurred when an explosive-rigged fuel tanker blew up in the affluent Mansur district, home to both Muslims and Christians.

Police said today's blast between Al-Najaf and Karbala appeared aimed at a U.S. military convoy, but it emerged unscathed. No further details were available.

Meanwhile, in the northern city of Mosul, a roadside bomb hit a bus after it dropped off a group of Iraqi security forces. An Iraqi official told AFP the bus's driver was either killed or kidnapped.

(AFP/Reuters)

[For the latest news on Iraq, see RFE/RL's webpage on "The New Iraq".]