Iraqi police remove the body of a man killed in the blast in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, December 5 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - At least four Iraqis were killed and 15 wounded in an explosion in a crowded shopping street near a mosque in south Baghdad Friday, December 5.

Also, a U.S. soldier was killed Friday in the Iraqi capital when an improvised explosive device (IED) hit his vehicle, in what appeared to be the same blast at about the same time on a crowded shopping street in New Baghdad.

"A 22nd Signal Brigade soldier was killed today in eastern Baghdad at approximately 9:20 am (0620 GMT)," said a statement by the U.S. occupation military.

"The soldier was traveling in a three-vehicle convoy when an improvised explosive device detonated between the first and second vehicles.

"The name of the soldier has been withheld pending next-of-kin notification.

"The incident is under investigation."

Earlier Friday, witnesses told Agence France-Presse (AFP) the blast happened as a U.S. convoy was passing and reported seeing at least one U.S. soldier covered in blood and as many as three hurt before the convoy drove away.

Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel reported that “one U.S. soldier was killed in the blast”.

"About 10 this morning we received three dead, who have not been identified, and 13 wounded," Karim Abdullah Muslim, head of the emergency room at the al-Kindi hospital, was quoted by AFP as saying.

"Two or three of them are seriously wounded. The rest are slight injuries.

"A woman was among the dead and three women were also wounded. Two children were lightly injured," he said.

Accident and emergency nurse Mohammed Ibrahim stressed the toll was from his hospital alone and said other casualties may have been taken elsewhere.

Blood, pieces of flesh, discarded clothing and shoes littered the street in the New Baghdad district in the southeast of the capital, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

Sweet seller Ahmed Ali, 30, said: "At 9:30 (0630 GMT) this morning a convoy of two American vehicles passed outside my shop. I saw one American soldier badly wounded and covered in blood."

"When it exploded the street was blocked with traffic. People in a small truck were killed or wounded as well as some passers-by. The place was packed and all shops open and people selling their wares on the pavement."

"It's a cowardly act," he said. "They hurt one American but they killed and wounded far more Iraqis."

He said Iraqi volunteers and ambulances ferried the casualties to nearby hospitals while the U.S. convoy drove off.

Abdul Wahad Allwan, 32, described how two U.S. army vehicles slowed approaching a red light.

"The first went past the explosive device hidden in the central reservation but it exploded as the second Humvee arrived. The blast was very strong, blowing in all the windows.

"Three Americans seemed to be hurt," he said. "There were some women lying in the floor.

"I don't understand why they do it. They know there's a Friday market here and there are a lot of people."

The U.S. army had no immediate comment on the blast, which went off near a traffic light about 200 meters (yards) from the Samarrai mosque used by Sunnis.

The force of the blast uprooted a tree and smashed windows in surrounding buildings.

U.S. Convoys Targeted

U.S. soldiers inspect a crater in the ground caused by the attack on a U.S. military convoy

Meanwhile, two bomb attacks hit U.S. convoys in Baghdad Friday morning, according to a U.S. military spokesman who added that there was no immediate word on casualties.

"We can confirm that at least two IEDs (the sort favored by anti-U.S. insurgents) exploded in Baghdad," the spokesman said.

"We don't have any casualty information at this time. More information will follow."

One of the explosions hit a Humvee as a convoy passed an intersection in south Baghdad just north of the former Rashid military base.

"It detonated by one of the Humvees - it didn't injure anyone, it didn't do any damage to the vehicle," said the unit commander at the scene who identified himself as John Redmond.

"It is happening fairly often but we are also catching the people who are doing it. We didn't catch these two ... but we are confident we will," he said.