- (AFP) -- Two mortar bombs have landed and one exploded
overnight in a school in Baqubah, near a US army base about 60 kilometres
north-east of Baghdad in Iraq, the school principal said.
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- "The mortar bomb fell at 11:30pm [local time] last
night [Friday], but fortunately there was only the guard, who was not hurt,"
Hatem Samir Zeidan said, who runs the al-Sariya mixed primary school.
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- "The mortar bomb is one of many that did not explode,
and which were targeting American forces who are using parts of a former
base of the disbanded Iraqi army," east of Baqubah, he said.
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- Mr Zeidan said "all students who came today to school
have been sent back home and the school is closed until we carry out the
necessary repairs".
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- School janitor 45-year-old Jabbar Muteb said, "I
was sleeping when I heard the sound of exploding mortars - moments later,
one of them fell on the building of the school, destroying parts of it
and breaking glass".
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- An AFP correspondent said civil defence workers and policemen
were at the school on Saturday, attempting to defuse the unexploded second
mortar round.
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- Attacks on US forces are frequent in the area, where
ousted president Saddam Hussein still draws support.
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- © 2003 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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- http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s980252.htm
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