Post by Salem6 on Jan 1, 2004 10:12:48 GMT
At least five people have been killed and others hurt after a car bomb blast tore through a Baghdad restaurant.
The authorities had warned of attacks amid New Year celebrations
The blast was outside a restaurant in the smart Karrada district of the capital, not far from the city centre and popular with foreigners.
Iraqi police say the bomb was detonated by a suicide bomber, and that a second bomber was arrested inside the cafe.
The US military and Iraqi police have been on high alert due to the risk of guerrilla attacks to mark the New Year.
At least 25 people were injured in the latest attack and hospital officials say seven of these were very seriously hurt.
The Los Angeles Times said three of its Baghdad bureau reporters had been hurt in the blast.
The British Foreign Office later said that one Briton had been injured, but was unable to confirm reports that a second person had been caught in the blast.
"A British national is being treated for superficial injuries," a spokeswoman said.
Soft target
The BBC's Chris Hogg, in Baghdad, says the restaurant was packed with revellers at the time of the explosion.
The extremely loud blast could be heard across the rooftops of the city, he says.
Several buildings adjoining the restaurant were seriously damaged and debris was strewn across the street.
A large crater was visible on a side street next to the restaurant, on the corner of a city block.
About 11,000 Iraqi police officers were deployed in the city for New Year's Eve.
Security is tight across the coalition headquarters, across all government buildings and targets such as major international hotels which were targeted at Christmas.
But, our correspondent says, it seems the bombers chose to attack a softer target.
Christmas violence
The restaurant, known as the Nabil, had advertised a New Year's Eve party.
Gunfire was heard after the explosion. US soldiers headed to the site of the blast and US military helicopters hovered overhead.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Kadhem - the deputy Iraqi interior minister and Baghdad chief of police - said that five people had died in the explosion.
On Christmas Day there was an upsurge in violence in Iraq.
In Baghdad alone there were 26 attacks - there are on average about 17 daily attacks on US forces across the whole of Iraq.
Video:-
The BBC's Caroline Hawley
"It was timed to destroy a night meant to mark a new start"news.bbc.co.uk/media/video/39691000/rm/_39691565_iraq23_hawley_vi.ram
The authorities had warned of attacks amid New Year celebrations
The blast was outside a restaurant in the smart Karrada district of the capital, not far from the city centre and popular with foreigners.
Iraqi police say the bomb was detonated by a suicide bomber, and that a second bomber was arrested inside the cafe.
The US military and Iraqi police have been on high alert due to the risk of guerrilla attacks to mark the New Year.
At least 25 people were injured in the latest attack and hospital officials say seven of these were very seriously hurt.
The Los Angeles Times said three of its Baghdad bureau reporters had been hurt in the blast.
The British Foreign Office later said that one Briton had been injured, but was unable to confirm reports that a second person had been caught in the blast.
"A British national is being treated for superficial injuries," a spokeswoman said.
Soft target
The BBC's Chris Hogg, in Baghdad, says the restaurant was packed with revellers at the time of the explosion.
The extremely loud blast could be heard across the rooftops of the city, he says.
Several buildings adjoining the restaurant were seriously damaged and debris was strewn across the street.
A large crater was visible on a side street next to the restaurant, on the corner of a city block.
About 11,000 Iraqi police officers were deployed in the city for New Year's Eve.
Security is tight across the coalition headquarters, across all government buildings and targets such as major international hotels which were targeted at Christmas.
But, our correspondent says, it seems the bombers chose to attack a softer target.
Christmas violence
The restaurant, known as the Nabil, had advertised a New Year's Eve party.
Gunfire was heard after the explosion. US soldiers headed to the site of the blast and US military helicopters hovered overhead.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Kadhem - the deputy Iraqi interior minister and Baghdad chief of police - said that five people had died in the explosion.
On Christmas Day there was an upsurge in violence in Iraq.
In Baghdad alone there were 26 attacks - there are on average about 17 daily attacks on US forces across the whole of Iraq.
Video:-
The BBC's Caroline Hawley
"It was timed to destroy a night meant to mark a new start"news.bbc.co.uk/media/video/39691000/rm/_39691565_iraq23_hawley_vi.ram