Some 20 Foreign Troops Killed, Hurt in Iraq Blasts

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - About 20 foreign soldiers were killed or wounded when blasts hit their bases and several government buildings in the Iraqi city of Kerbala on Saturday, a spokesman for Polish-led troops in the region said.



"We know that in Kerbala...there were multiple attacks, (positions of) two coalition forces were attacked, also the university, city hall and the police station," he told Reuters.

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Iraqi Blasts Kill 2 Coalition Troops

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi insurgents launched several attacks in the southern city of Karbala on Saturday, and there were 20 coalition casualties, a military spokesman said. Two coalition troops were reported killed.


The attackers struck with a car bomb, mortars and machine guns in separate places in Karbala, said U.S. Maj. Ralph Manos, a spokesman for the Polish-led multinational force responsible for security in the area.


"There were different types of attacks at different places," he said. The attackers targeted two military coalition camps at the city's university and at a police station, as well as the mayor's office.


Col. Mariusz Michalski, another coalition spokesman, told the Polish news agency PAP that two coalition soldiers were killed at one of the attacks at a Bulgarian base.

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20 Coalition Casualties in Iraq Blasts

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Assailants detonated a car bomb and opened fire with mortars and machine guns in the southern city of Karbala on Saturday. There were 20 coalition casualties, a military spokesman said.

"We do not know the extent of the casualties," said U.S. Maj. Ralph Manos, a spokesman for the Polish-led multinational force responsible for security in the area.

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Loud blast shakes southern Iraqi city near coalition base

KARBALA, Iraq (AFP) - A powerful explosion jolted the southern Iraqi city of Karbala near a coalition military base, an AFP correspondent said.



Ambulance sirens wailed in the streets moments after the thunderous blast, he said.


A US military spokesman, attached with the Polish-led multinational division responsible for the Karbala area, refused to confirm or deny the reported explosion.

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Blasts Reported in Southern Iraqi City

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Explosions rocked the southern city of Karbala on Saturday, and smoke and fire rose from the local government building. There was no immediate word on casualties.

Witnesses said mortar shells struck the government building in the early afternoon, and that a car bomb exploded near a university during a visit by a U.S. delegation. The reports could not be immediately confirmed.


"We are aware of an incident in Karbala," said U.S. Air Force Capt. Patricia Teran-Matthews, a spokeswoman for the U.S.-led coalition. "We are awaiting the details."

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