Date:25/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/25/stories/2008112555801300.htm

International

20 killed in Baghdad blasts

BAGHDAD: A woman bomber blew herself up near an entrance to the U.S.-protected Green Zone and a bomb tore through a minibus carrying government employees on Monday killing at least 20 people, said officials. Three more people were killed in attacks on police patrols in Baghdad and Baqouba.

The violence came as legislators prepared for a vote on Wednesday on a security pact with the U.S. that would enable American forces to stay in Iraq for up to three more years under strict Iraqi oversight. In the first attack, a bomb attached to a bus used by the Trade Ministry to ferry employees to work exploded in eastern Baghdad, said police and hospital officials.

Thirteen employees were killed and three wounded. The attack occurred in a Shia area and the injured were taken to Kindi and Ibn al-Nafis hospitals in Baghdad. The Green Zone houses the U.S. Embassy and government headquarters. — AP