Special Report: Tension accelerates in Iraq

    BAGHDAD, April 9 (Xinhua) -- A civilian was killed and two policemen wounded when a roadside bomb struck a police patrol in western Baghdad on Sunday, an Interior Ministry source and a witness said.

    "A roadside bomb hit a police patrol on the intersection of 14 Ramadan Street in Mansur district, killing a civilian and wounding two policemen," the source from the ministry told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

    "Powerful explosion took place under a tree on the side of 14 Ramadan Street, where several policemen were gathering," a local resident named Muhammed told Xinhua at the scene.

    "I saw several policemen were evacuated by police pickup trucks, but nobody could approach the scene as the policemen were shooting in the air sporadically," Muhammed added.

    Iraqi security forces blocked the main Mansur Street of 14 Ramadan and several police vehicles could be seen patrolling the neighborhood with their machineguns. Enditem