Three Iraqi civilians and one American soldier were killed when a roadside bomb exploded in a crowded market place in the capital Baghdad today.
Some 16 Iraqi civilians were also wounded when the bomb, planted in the middle of a busy road, was detonated as a US military convoy and a minibus were passing in opposite directions.
Witnesses said the minibus was badly damaged in the blast, with all its windows blown out. Pools of blood were visible on the floor of the wreckage. The front vehicle of the US military convoy was also hit, witnesses said.
The US military did not have any immediate information on the incident but said it was investigating.
More than 180 US soldiers have been killed in action in Iraq since Washington declared major combat over on May 1st. During that period, scores of Iraqis have also been killed in almost daily assaults by anti-American guerrillas.
