Bomber kills kids, U.S. troops in Iraq

Published 9:28 pm Sunday, November 18, 2007

BAGHDAD — A suicide bomber detonated his explosives as American troops were handing out toys to children northeast of Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least three children and three soldiers, U.S. authorities said.

Seven children were wounded in the attack in Baqouba, where U.S. soldiers wrested control from al-Qaida in Iraq over the summer.

The attack, along with a series of other blasts in the capital and to the north, came as the American military said overall violence in Iraq is down 55 percent since a troop buildup began this year.

Police said the attack occurred as U.S. soldiers were handing out toys, sports equipment and other treats in a playground near Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad.

Few details were available, but the U.S. military said it was a “suicide vest attack” and that three American soldiers were killed.

Rasoul Issam, 16, said he and his friends were playing soccer when the U.S. soldiers called to them from their vehicles to come get gifts.

“We ran toward them and I caught a ball when suddenly an explosion took place about 20 meters (yards) from us,” Issam said from his hospital bed in Baqouba.

Mohammed Sabah, 11, was hit by shrapnel in his hand and chest.

“The soldiers gave me pens and I thanked them. After this the explosion took place and I was hit by shrapnel,” he said. “The second thing I remember is being in the hospital.”

The deaths raised to at least 3,870 members of the U.S. military who have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

The military cast blame on al-Qaida in Iraq.

“This is another example of how AQI cares nothing about the Iraqi people. They will kill children to meet their goals,” said Maj. Peggy Kageleiry, a spokeswoman for U.S. forces in northern Iraq.

Iraqi children frequently converge on American troops who usually carry soccer balls and stuffed animals crammed in their armored vehicles as they seek to garner goodwill.

In other attacks, rocket and mortar barrages hit several U.S. bases in Baghdad overnight. Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, a U.S. military spokesman, said the attacks caused some casualties but no deaths.

Meanwhile, officials in the southern city of Sumawah said a U.S. Army convoy opened fire Sunday in an unprovoked attack on motorists who were trying to get out of its way, injuring four and destroying a truckload of sheep. The U.S. military apologized for the incident, saying in a statement that two civilians were killed and four injured. Local officials said there were no deaths.