Two suicide bombers on Monday detonated their explosives-loaded cars at the entrance of the heavily-fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, leaving at least five killed and 20 wounded, an official source said.


Two suicide bombers on Monday detonated their explosives-loaded cars at the entrance of the heavily-fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, leaving at least five killed and 20 wounded, an official source said. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
"We have at least five killed and 20 others wounded. The bombers with their two cars were waiting in line at the west entrance to enter the Green Zone. They detonated one by one when a military convoy was heading to the entrance checkpoint," a source from the Interior Ministry told Xinhua on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.


The attacks occurred at around 8:00 a.m. local time (0500 GMT), and most of the dead and wounded were soldiers guarding the Green Zone, the casualty number could rise further, he added.


Xinhua reporters in central Baghdad clearly heard at least two loud explosions due to the 1 km range between their office and the Green Zone.


The Green Zone, which houses some of the Iraqi government offices and the U.S. embassy, has been frequently targeted by insurgents' mortar and rocket attacks. However, massive car bombings targeting the Green Zone was rare over the past months.


The roughly 10-square-km zone is located on the west bank of the Tigris River which bisects the Iraqi capital.


The latest bombing attack underscores the challenges that the Iraqi security forces are facing as they struggle to restore stability and normalcy in Iraqi cities about eight months before the departure of all American forces by the end of 2011.


VietNamNet/Xinhuanet