Loud explosion heard in Baghdad as vote begins
15/12/2005 15:04
A powerful explosion heard in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone as
the country's polls kicked off on Thursday, police said.
Few minutes after
the country's landmark election begun, a powerful explosion struck the Green
Zone in central Baghdad as smoke rose over the area and sirens wailed, a police
source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
There were no immediate reports
of any casualties or damage.
The heavily fortified Green Zone, houses the
Iraqi government offices and the US embassy, frequently attacked by insurgents
with mortar rounds and rockets.
The blast in the heart of the Iraqi capital
came just minutes after the parliamentary elections kicked off at 7:00 am (0400
GMT) as eligible voters headed to polling stations to elect the country 's first
full-term parliament since the US-led invasion toppled the Saddam Hussein regime
in 2003.
Security for the vote is extremely tight to try to minimize the
threat of insurgent attacks, it was reported.
Xinhua
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