2 killed after roadside bomb strikes bus in eastern Iraq

Baghdad: A roadside bomb struck a double-decker bus in eastern Baghdad and killed two people, Iraqi authorities said Monday. Seven others were wounded in the attack.

Iraqi police and hospital officials said the bus was carrying employees of Iraq's Housing Ministry through the Shiite-dominated neighborhood of Mashtal when the blast
occurred.

The wounded were brought to Baghdad's Kindi hospital, said the officials.

The US military said the explosion destroyed the bus and confirmed that seven persons were wounded, but said only one was killed. Conflicting casualty tolls are common in Iraq.

Iraqi police arrested one man at the site of the blast, said Lieutenant Colonel Steven Stover, a military spokesman. He blamed Shiite extremists for the attack.

"It's a heinous act, especially considering they are targeting innocent civilians," Stover said.