OUR BOMBERS?

Car bomb at Jordanian Embassy in Iraq kills at least seven (D'Arcy Doran, August 7, 2003, Associated Press)

A massive car bomb exploded outside the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad today, killing at least seven people and wounding 52, hospital and rescue workers said. Two U.S. soldiers died in a gun battle in another part of the Iraqi capital.

The two soldiers of the 1st Armored Division were killed in the Al Rashid district of Baghdad Wednesday night, U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla. reported. A translator with them was wounded.

Their deaths ended a four-day stretch in which the military said there had been no combat fatalities. The number of U.S. forces killed in combat since May 1, when President Bush declared major fighting over, now stands at 55. The military said it was withholding their names until family members were notified.

Shortly after the blast at the Jordanian Embassy, young Iraqi men stormed the gate and began destroying pictures of Jordanian King Abdullah II and his late father, King Hussein. They shouted anti-Jordanian chants, but were quickly dispersed by American forces and Iraqi police.

Given that the father opposed the first Iraq war and the son is now sheltering Saddam's daughters, this raises the uncomfortable question of whether this was essentially a pro-American terrorist act. Posted by Orrin Judd at August 7, 2003 2:14 PM