Car bomb explodes in northern city of Mosul

Baghdad, Iraq-AP -- A car bomb has exploded in front of a police station in the center of Iraq's third largest city and witnesses report several deaths.

Witnesses say they saw several bodies but there's no official confirmation yet. One policeman, speaking on condition of anonymity says the blast was so powerful that there were casualties even inside the police station building.

Witnesses say windows of buildings in Mosul were shattered by the blast and plumes of smoke could be seen.

Car bomb explodes outside Mosul police station
Sat 31 January, 2004 08:30

MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - A car bomb has exploded outside a police station in the centre of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, and witnesses say there are many casualties.

U.S. troops rushed to the scene of the attack.

Iraqi police and other local security forces have increasingly become the target of attacks by insurgents who regard them as collaborating with the U.S.-led occupation and also find them easier targets than the Americans.

U.S. forces in the northern city have also repeatedly been a attacked in recent months, either by roadside bombs or in drive-by shootings.

More than 300 Iraqi police have been killed in bomb blasts and other attacks since the end of the war to oust Saddam Hussein, according to Iraq's interior ministry.

Baghdad, Iraq-AP -- A car bomb has exploded in front of a police station in the center of Iraq's third largest city and witnesses report several deaths.

Witnesses say they saw several bodies but there's no official confirmation yet. One policeman, speaking on condition of anonymity says the blast was so powerful that there were casualties even inside the police station building.

The police station is next to the University of Mosul campus.

Witnesses say windows of buildings in Mosul were shattered by the blast and plumes of smoke could be seen.

Mosul is about 225 miles northwest of Baghdad.

Per FoxNews web site:

Car Bomb in Mosul Kills 9, Wounds 45
Saturday, January 31, 2004
BAGHDAD, Iraq — A car bomb (search) exploded Saturday in front of a police station in Iraq's third largest city, killing at least nine people and wounding 45, witnesses and hospital staff said.
Witnesses in Mosul saw severed limbs and decapitated bodies on the street in front of the police station. Windows of buildings were shattered and plumes of smoke could be seen in the area.
Staff at the Republican Hospital in Mosul said nine people including civilians and policemen were killed and 45 others were injured.
Some witnesses, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it appeared that a car drove through a security barricade in front of the police station before exploding. This could not be independently confirmed.
One policeman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the blast was so powerful that there were casualties inside the police station building.
The station is next to the University of Mosul campus. Mosul is about 225 miles northwest of Baghdad.

Car Bomb in Mosul Kills 9, Wounds 45

The text on that link has already changed in the last few minutes so I don't know what the page might be saying later.

Iraq Car Bomb Blast Kills 9, Injures 45
2 minutes ago
By VIJAY JOSHI, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A car bomb exploded Saturday outside a police station in Iraq (news - web sites)'s third largest city, killing at least nine people and wounding 45, witnesses and hospital staff said.

Witnesses in Mosul saw severed limbs and decapitated bodies on the street in front of the police station. Windows of buildings were shattered and plumes of smoke could be seen in the area.

Staff at the Republican Hospital in Mosul said nine people including civilians and policemen were killed and 45 others were injured.

Saturday was a pay day and the police station was crowded with staff at the time of the midmorning attack, said police Lt. Mohammed Fadil.

A U.S. military spokesman said: "We are aware of a report of an IED (improvised explosive device) or a car bomb that exploded near the Mosul police station this morning." He said he had no other details.

Al-Jazeera television network said the pieces of the car apparently carrying the bomb were found 300 yards away. At least five nearby cars were damaged.

It said no American troops were in the vicinity at the time of the blast.

Some witnesses, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it appeared that a car drove through a security barricade in front of the police station before exploding outside the building. This could not be independently confirmed.

One policeman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the blast was so powerful that there were casualties not only on the street but also inside the building.

The police station is next to the University of Mosul campus. Mosul is about 225 miles northwest of Baghdad.

The attack occurred a day before the start of the four-day Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice. The feast, a major Muslim holiday, commemorates the Quranic account of God allowing the patriarch Abraham to sacrifice a sheep instead of his son Ismail. The Old Testament account says another son, Isaac, was spared.

Police stations have been the frequent targets of insurgents fighting U.S. troops and their Iraqi allies since the fall of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s regime last April. Many of the attacks have been carried out through car bombings and roadside bombs that have killed scores of civilians.

In the deadliest insurgent attack since the capture of Saddam on Dec. 13, a suicide car bombing at the gates of the U.S.-led coalition headquarters in Baghdad left at least 31 people dead and more than 120 injured.

Also Saturday, a bomb exploded under a senior police officer's car parked in front of his house in Baghdad, slightly injuring five children in the street.

"We woke up frightened when we heard a big explosion," said Col. Adnan Radeef al-Ani, who heads a quick response field. He said the bomb was apparently triggered by a timer.

"Maybe I was targeted because I am working with the Americans," he told The Associated Press.

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