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WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2004 – A car bomb exploded at a checkpoint outside the "Green Zone" in Baghdad today, while another blast rocked a downtown hotel area, officials reported.
The first explosion occurred outside the "Green Zone" around 8:45 a.m., Baghdad time; the second blast happened around 9:45 a.m, according to Multinational Force Iraq officials. The highly protected area, also known as the International Zone, houses top- level Iraqi government offices and the U.S. Embassy. No MNF soldiers were injured in the attacks, nor was there damage to equipment, according to officials. However, officials noted there were Iraqi casualties from both explosions. News reports said an Iraqi hospital in Baghdad received 15 dead and more than 80 wounded from the attack. In other Iraq news, Multinational Forces today conducted another precision strike against insurgents operating in and around the city of Fallujah. Reports say the strike targeted a building on the outskirts of the city where about 25 insurgents were in the process of moving weapons. Intelligence reports had linked the insurgents to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's terrorist network operating in Iraq. (Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)
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