31 US soldiers wounded in Iraq car bomb blast
( 2003-12-09 15:40) (Agencies)
An apparent suicide bomber wounded 31 U.S. soldiers when he detonated his vehicle at the entrance to an American military base in northern Iraq on Tuesday, a U.S. military spokesman said.
The attack coincided with an announcement from Japan that it has approved a plan to dispatch non-combat troops to Iraq, despite strong voter opposition.
U.S. Major Trey Cate of the 101st Airborne Division said soldiers opened fire on the vehicle as it raced toward the gate of their base in the town of Tal Afar, 28 miles west of Mosul. The car then exploded in an apparent suicide blast.
"The vehicle did not stop, so soldiers fired on it. It then detonated. None of the injuries are life-threatening," said Cate, adding that the attack occurred shortly before dawn.
U.S. troops in northern Iraq have come under sustained attack in recent weeks, particularly in and around Mosul, Iraq's third largest city. A U.S. soldier was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in the city on Monday and another died in a roadside bomb blast at the weekend.
Late last month the headquarters of the 101st was mortared, killing one soldier. The attacks have been a setback for U.S. commanders, who were praised for bringing a degree of calm and stability to the region in the immediate postwar period.
Since Washington launched the war to overthrow Saddam Hussein in March, 308 U.S. soldiers have been killed in action, 193 of them since President Bush declared major combat over at the beginning of May.
While the U.S. military says the overall number of attacks against troops has declined from as many as 50 a day to around 20 following a recent offensive against guerrillas, November was still the deadliest month for U.S. troops since the war began.
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