Two killed in blast near Iraqi PM's HQ
A suicide car bomb detonated near Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi’s party headquarters today, killing two police officers and injuring 14 other Iraqis, police said.
It was unclear if Allawi, a secular Shiite leader, was inside the headquarters of his Iraqi National Accord party when the blast occurred in the capital’s western district of Harithiya.
Initial police reports said that two Iraqi police officers were killed in the blast when a yellow car tried to ram through a police blockade near the headquarters.
Fourteen other people were injured, including eight policemen and six civilians.
Allawi’s party offices are located about 100 yards from his residence. Witnesses in the neighbourhood said machine gun fire could be heard after the explosion.
US military spokesman Captain Darren Luke said that no US-led multi-national forces were near the scene of the blast.
Insurgents have frequently targeted Iraqi politicians, US troops and Iraqi security forces in their bloody campaign against national elections scheduled for January 30.
