BAGHDAD, October 30, 2004 - Witnesses said Saturday that Iraqi forces opened fire on six vehicles, including three minibuses, after a U.S. convoy came under attack in a central Iraqi town south of Baghdad, killing or injuring more than a dozen people.

Eyewitnesses speaking to Associated Press Television News said an American convoy was attacked early Saturday near the town of Haswa, about 25 miles south of the capital.

After the U.S. troops pulled out, Iraqi police and National Guard arrived on the scene. Witnesses said Iraqi troops opened fire randomly and used hand grenades, hitting three minibuses and three trucks.

The U.S. military had no immediate response.

Doctor Abdul Razzaq al-Janabi, director of Iskandariyah General Hospital, said 14 people were killed and 10 others injured. More wounded were taken to other hospitals.

Al-Janabi said some of the victims told him three improvised explosive devices detonated against the U.S. convoy.

The area is a major insurgent hotspot where ambushes and attacks against U.S. and Iraqi forces are common.

APTN footage showed bloody, dead bodies riddled with bullet holes inside the buses and on the street. Blood and gas was trickling underneath the vehicles. Empty bullet cases were also scattered around.

An APTN cameraman saw at least 18 bodies, while witnesses said there were more than 20 people killed in the incident.

The footage also showed the morgue of Iskandariyah Hospital packed with bodies stacked on top of each other.

Witnesses said police also broke into the Osama bin Zayd mosque in the same area and detained its cleric and two guards.

Copyright © 2004 Associated Press

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