A car bomb exploded in Sahat al-Tayaran (Aviation Square) in central Baghdad Monday, killing at least six Iraqis and wounding 26, the independent news agency Voices of Iraq reported citing an Iraqi police source, according to dpa. Police sealed off the scene while the wounded were rushed to nearby hospitals, the source added. The car had been parked on the roadside in one of the most crowded areas in the capital where several garages and auto workshops are located. Also Monday, the US military said eight terrorist suspects were killed, while 40 were detained during operations over a 24-hour period by the US-led coalition forces in Salah Edidn and Anbar provinces. The US military also confirmed Monday that three US soldiers had been killed Thursday while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, west of Baghdad. Another US soldier was killed during operations in eastern Baghdad on Sunday, according to the US military. Altogether 3,648 US soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003, with 69 killed this month, according to Voices of Iraq. Gunmen on Monday seized and damaged Iranian goods in stores and markets in the Muqdadiya district in Diyala province, 45 kilometres north-east of Baquba, Voices of Iraq reported quoting local residents. The gunmen also told shopowners to get rid of goods and commodities branded "Made in Iran," a resident of Muqdadiya told the news agency. Another witness said the gunmen claimed their order had been issued by the Trade Ministry of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and that any disobedience would result in punishment in accordance with the laws of the Committee to Promote Virtue and Ban Vice.
