UN envoy in Iraq escapes bombing unharmed
The United Nations says its chief envoy in Iraq was unharmed when a bombing targeted his convoy following a meeting with the nation's top Shiite cleric
Baghdad: The United Nations says its chief envoy in Iraq was unharmed when a bombing targeted his convoy following a meeting with the nation's top Shiite cleric.
UN spokeswoman Randa Jamal said Special Representative Ad Melkert was preparing to leave Najaf on Tuesday afternoon when his caravan hit a roadside bomb.
Jamal said the UN delegation was not hurt. She could not confirm media reports that at least one policeman escorting the convoy died in the blast.
Jamal says Melkert had just wrapped up a meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani. She says Melkert returned safely to Baghdad Tuesday evening.
The UN scaled back its presence in Iraq after a 2003 bombing of its Baghdad headquarters killed then-envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 employees.
