Car Bomb Kills 6 Near Baghdad Political Offices

A powerful car bomb rocked the Iraqi capital this morning near the offices of two major political parties, killing several people and shattering windows miles away.

The 9:20 blast occurred near a double-decker bridge, formerly known as the Saddam Bridge, in front of riverfront offices for the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRI, the leading Shiite Muslim party.

Next door is another riverfront guest house sometimes used by Jalal Talabani, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

A U.S. military spokesman said six people were killed. An official for SCIRI in the southern city of Najaf said several people were killed and wounded, but no high-ranking party members were believed to be among them.

The center of the explosion appeared to be only yards away from the SCIRI office. Several cars were set ablaze as a column of smoke rose from the river.

“In a twinkle of an eye, everything turned into a mess,” said a man who works in the council office. The man, who identified himself as Abu Sajjad, 37, said he had just started his shift when he was knocked off his feet by the blast.

The area, once off-limits to average Iraqis because it was used by family members of then-President Saddam Hussein, was heavily guarded by Iraqi security forces and private guards, but the streets directly in front of the homes were open to traffic.

As Iraq moves toward national assembly elections next month, political violence is growing. Last week, car bombs rocked the cities of Najaf and Karbala, killing 65 civilians. Election workers and political candidates have been assassinated.

The Shiite-dominated SCIRI is the chief force in the coalition of parties and candidates running in the Jan. 30 vote. With Shiites constituting nearly 60% of Iraq’s population, the council and its slate is expected to garner a sizable block of seats.

Meanwhile, the military reported that one U.S. soldier was killed and another was wounded when their convoy was targeted by a roadside bomb in Samarra on Sunday night.

Times staff writer Ashraf Khalil and special correspondents Suhail Ahmed and Raheem Salman contributed to this report.