Eight killed in Baghdad, Rumsfeld sends new forces

A fuel truck explosion, presumed to be booby trapped in the residential al-Mansour quarters in Baghdad resulted in killing 8 persons and injuring at least 20.

The huge explosion shook the Amerat streets which includes several embassies and houses of officials in the Interim government and foreign companies. News reports said that clashes erupted between the American forces and the gunmen following the explosion.

The explosion also resulted in setting fire in 15 houses and burning of a large number of cars.

In other attacks, one Iraqi was killed and other 4 injured in clashes between gunmen and members of the national guards in Daloyea to the north of Baghdad while one child was killed and other three injured in a bomb explosion in Samera.

Meantime, in the course of his visit to American soldiers in Iraq, the US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced that number of American soldiers in Iraq will increase from 138,000 to 150,000 with the approaching of the Iraqi elections on January 30, 2005.