An explosion rocked the western suburb of Baghdad that is home to the controversial Abu Ghraib prison today.
It was not clear what caused the explosion, which was followed by a column of smoke in late morning.
US soldiers blocked the main western highway leading out of the capital near Abu Ghraib, about five kilometres east of the prison itself. US military spokesmen said they were checking the cause of the blast.
Abu Ghraib prison was notorious for its torture chambers under Saddam Hussein.
US soldiers now face charges for abusing detainees there. Seven of their officers and non-commissioned officers were disciplined, the military said yesterday.
