BAGHDAD, 4 January 2005 — A roadside explosion and three separate car bombs — one near the prime minister’s party headquarters in Baghdad — killed at least 16 people yesterday as insurgents pressed their deadly campaign to disrupt national elections which Iraq’s defense minister said could be postponed.
A car bomb exploded late yesterday at a US-manned checkpoint to the Green Zone, the heavily fortified area that houses the US Embassy and Iraqi government offices, US Embassy spokesman Bob Callahan said. US troops surrounded a burning SUV at the scene.
Three bodies were seen burning inside the destroyed vehicle. The nationalities of the victims, identified as employees of the US-based international security consultant Kroll Inc., were not immediately known.
Police Lt. Khalid Mohammed said the bomb targeted a US nonmilitary convoy and there were casualties at the checkpoint. American contractors and diplomats commonly make the journey along the dangerous airport road in SUVs.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan raised the possibility that Iraqi elections could be postponed to try to persuade minority Sunnis to participate in the vote.
