An explosion hit a United States military base in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Tuesday, causing multiple casualties, the US military said.
“At 12pm [9am GMT] today an explosion occurred at a US military installation in Mosul, causing multiple casualties. The cause of the explosion is under investigation,” it said in a statement.
Twenty-two people were killed and more than 50 were injured in the lunchtime blast, US media reported, citing Pentagon officials.
CNN reported that “multiple blasts” rocked a dining hall on the base during lunch, causing multiple casualties.
Mosul, 370km north of Baghdad and once considered a success story of the defunct US occupation in Iraq, has been transformed into a battleground between insurgents and US forces.
The city, home to Islamists and staunch loyalists of the ousted Ba’ath party regime, was the site of almost daily assassination attempts on suspected US collaborators before the city boiled over in violence last month.
About 80 bodies have been found in and around Mosul since the beginning of December, most of which authorities say belong to security-force members executed by insurgents. — AFP
White House reacts
The White House said on Tuesday it will not let deadly violence “derail” democracy in Iraq after the explosion in Mosul.
Spokesperson Scott McClellan declined to comment specifically on the attack in the northern Iraqi city, saying: “I would leave it to those on the ground to describe the latest situation there.”
He told reporters: “As we move forward in helping the Iraqi people build a free, democratic future, the enemies of freedom will seek to derail that transition.”
“It’s important that we continue to go after the Saddam loyalists and the terrorists who want to turn back to the past. They will be defeated … they are being defeated,” he said.
The attack came one day after US President George Bush acknowledged, in a year-end press conference, that bombings in Iraq are taking a toll on US morale, but vowed to press forward with elections set for January 30.
“There are very hopeful signs but, no question about it, the bombers are having an effect,” he said.
“They are trying to shake the will of the Iraqi people and, frankly, trying to shake the will of the American people.”
“It is also important that we continue to adapt to the circumstances on the ground, and that’s what our military is doing. Our military is doing a great job,” said McClellan, who added that US forces are “performing well under difficult circumstances”.