8 Coalition Troops Die in Ordnance Explosion

Seven Ukrainian troops and one Kazakh soldier died Sunday in an apparently accidental explosion at an ammunition dump south of Baghdad. Two U.S. troops died in separate incidents, the military said.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said the soldiers were loading aviation bombs when one of the devices exploded. Polish military spokesman Lt. Col. Artur Domanski said the explosion occurred at noon, about six miles south of Suwayrah. Eleven soldiers were wounded -- seven Ukrainians and four Kazakhs, he said.

Ukraine serves in a Polish-led contingent in south-central Iraq. With about 1,600 troops, it is the fifth-largest contributor of forces to the war effort. Kazakhstan has sent a 27-member contingent.

Of the two U.S. troops who died Saturday, one was a member of Task Force Baghdad, killed by a roadside bomb, and the other was with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, who died “while conducting security and stability operations” in Al Anbar province, the military said.

Al Anbar, west of Baghdad, remains one of the most volatile areas in Iraq. With parliamentary elections three weeks away, there is growing doubt about whether residents there will be willing or able to participate.

In another blow to the balloting, the entire 13-member electoral commission in Al Anbar resigned after being threatened by insurgents, a regional newspaper reported Sunday.

Saad Abdul-Aziz Rawi, the head of the commission, told the newspaper that it was “impossible to hold elections” in the Sunni Muslim-dominated province, where attacks had prevented voter registration.

“They are kidding themselves,” Rawi said about officials hopeful that the Jan. 30 vote could take place in Al Anbar.