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Massive Car Bomb Kills At Least 18 In Baghdad

Baghdad, 18 January 2004 (RFE/RL) -- A massive suspected suicide car bomb has killed at least 18 people in Baghdad near the main entrance to the U.S.-led coalition authority.

Reports said more than 30 people were injured and the number of casualties could go higher.

U.S. military Colonel Ralph Baker told reporters the blast was caused by a 1,000 pound (450 kilogram) bomb carried in a white Toyota pickup truck. He discounted witness accounts that more than one explosion was involved.

"There was no exchange of gunfire as a result of this incident. Immediately after the bomb exploded, soldiers assumed a defensive posture and then immediately assisted Iraqi citizens by rendering first aid to them," Baker said.

The blast site was the so-called "Assassins' Gate," the main entrance for Iraqis to access coalition headquarters. Witnesses said the blast could be felt throughout the city.

It was the biggest attack in the capital since former President Saddam Hussein was captured in December 2003. The last major blast in Baghdad came on New Year's Eve, when a car bomb exploded outside a restaurant killing at least eight people and wounding 30.

Copyright (c) 2004. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org