A blast hit a ceremony for Iraqi policemen graduating from U.S. training Saturday, killing at least seven recruits and wounding dozens, U.S. officials and hospital workers in the city of Ramadi said. Ramadi is some 100 kilometers west of Baghdad.
The graduating police were marching from a boys school where they underwent five days of training to a nearby government building when the blast occurred, one survivor told AP.
The U.S. Army's 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, which oversees Ramadi, reported seven people killed and 40 more wounded. None of the casualties were Americans, Capt. Michael Calvert said.
"These were new recruits that had just finished joint training with us," Calvert said.
Hours after the blast, at least three U.S. helicopters hovered over the scene, and military vehicles roamed the city. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
