AQ In Iraq’s Last Stronghold, Mosul Rocked By Deadly Explosion
BAGHDAD— Bombs ripped through an empty apartment building in northern Iraq on Wednesday, killing at least 14 people and injuring as many as 132 in surrounding houses shortly after the Iraqi army arrived to investigate a tip about a weapons cache.
Rescuers were searching for victims buried under the debris of the collapsed building and devastated nearby houses, said Abdul-Karim al-Jubouri, who was heading the operations for police in Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad.
The cause of the 4:30 p.m. blast was unknown, but it took place after Iraqi soldiers arrived at the three-story building, a suspected bomb-making factory. The army had received calls saying that weapons and explosives were inside, police said.
Al-Jubouri said 14 were killed and the U.S. military said 132 were injured. Al-Jubouri said police do not believe the blast was a trap because insurgents would have waited for security forces to get inside the building to kill as many as possible. Also, he said, insurgents usually warn nearby residents to leave before a bombing.
The blast reinforced claims by the U.S. military several days ago that Mosul is the only major Iraqi city with a strong al-Qaida presence.
(AP)
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