Many killed in explosion at headquarters of revolution's higher council

The number of persons killed in the explosion which targeted yesterday the headquarters of the Higher Council For The Islamic Revolution in al-Jadereayh to the south of Baghdad increased to 13 persons.

Officials at the Iraqi ministry of the Interior said that the attack resulted in a booby trapped car led by a suicidor and resulted in wounding 66 persons and destruction of some 60 cars and inflected heavy losses in the building.

The leader of the party Abdul Aziz al-Hakim asked his followers not to reply to the operation which he had accused the Sunni Islamists and fighters of the Baath party of. He said "we have chosen a path which rejects the concept of violence and we will cling to that." The explosion came with the continued attacks against the American forces in Iraq. One American military statement said on Monday that one soldier was killed and another injured after their vehicle was blown up in Samera on Sunday evening.

Meantime, a source in the Iraqi national guard said that gunmen kidnapped on Sunday evening 21 of its members while steaming from Hait town to al-Qaem town.