17 Iraqi policemen killed in booby trapped car explosion; American soldier killed

Three explosions took place on Sunday evening in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. A police source announced that one of the explosions was a result of a truck loaded with fuel barrels rather than explosives.

News reports said that the explosion took place when the truck was exposed to fire in al-Karradah quarters. Witnesses also talked about an explosion in a booby trapped car yesterday evening, in front of "Palestine Hotel" in the downtown of Baghdad.

A military spokesman also said that one American soldier was killed when an explosive went off, when he was trying to dismantle it. This came after Washington's confirmation that the toppled Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, was captured and showed photos of his capture in a press conference in Baghdad.

On the other hand, a source in the Iraqi police said that some 17 persons were killed, and 30 wounded, in a booby trapped car that went off earlier in the morning near a center for the Iraqi police to the west of Baghdad.

Witnesses said that the car blew up at the al-Khaledeyah city police center, 80 km to the west of Baghdad. Ambulances hurried to the site to transport the victims to a hospital in al-Ramadi city, 100 km to the west of Baghdad.

Though no American soldier was hit in the explosion, the American forces hurried to the site of the explosion, and imposed a security belt. Military helicopters were seen flying in the skies of the areas.

In another development, a statement for the Islamic group in Iraq said that the American occupation forces arrested 45 members of the Kurdish Islamic group partisans in Baghdad.