15 Iraqi Policemen Killed Defusing Rockets

15 Iraqi Policemen Killed Defusing Rockets

Iraqi officials said 15 policemen were killed and more than 45 wounded in eastern Baghdad on Tuesday as they tried to defuse rockets that had been prepared for launch from the back of a truck.

The incident came after rockets were fired at nearby U.S. and Iraqi army bases from the capital's Shi'ite Ubaidi district.

Police said they discovered a truck from which rockets had been launched. As they tried to deal with them, it exploded.

"The bomb disposal unit were trying to defuse eight rockets in Ubaidi but they lost control and they exploded," said Major-General Qassim Moussawi, spokesman for Iraq's military in Baghdad.

Police put the death toll at 15, adding the blast also set 10 cars alight. The U.S. military said two of its outposts had come under attack from rockets within five minutes, wounding four soldiers.

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