U.S. Embassy staff, soldiers killed in Baghdad blast

by Rob Walker | June 24, 2008 at 06:52 am

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At least 10 people are dead after a bomb exploded in a municipal building in Sadr City on Tuesday. Six Iraqis, Two US soldiers and two civilian US Embassy employees were killed after a blast went off during a meeting of the district advisory council.

The deputy head of the district advisory council was seriously wounded and nine other people were hurt when the explosion occurred.

The U.S. military said troops detained a suspect in connection with the attack. The person was captured "fleeing the scene and tested positive for explosive residue," the military said.
The embassy official said the American civilians include "a direct hire civilian employee of the Department of State and a Department of Defense civilian employee."

The blast occurred during a meeting of the district advisory council in Sadr City, and U.S. troops were in the area, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said. The groups are neighborhood councils that assess local needs and pass on their assessments to the provincial government.

Sadr City, 24 June (AKI) - At least ten people have been killed in a blast in the eastern Baghdad suburb of Sadr City, among them four Americans.

Two American soldiers and two employees from the US State and Defense Departments were killed in the explosion, a US embassy spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The blast ripped through Sadr City's municipal council building, half an hour after a meeting for the election of the council president.

A suspect has reportedly been arrested and tested positive for explosives residue.

The deaths bring the number of US soldiers killed in June in Iraq, to 22.