Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

    BAGHDAD, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were wounded in a car bomb explosion targeting a U.S. patrol in Baghdad's western district of Mansour on Tuesday, an Interior Ministry source said.

    "A car bomb parked at the Amirat Street in Mansour neighborhood went off at around 3:00 p.m. (1200 GMT) near a passing U.S. patrol," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

    A plume of gray smoke rose into the air by the powerful blast that also badly charred five civilian cars at the scene, the source said.

    It was not clear whether the U.S. troops sustained any casualty as they sealed off the area preventing the Iraqi police from approaching the scene, the source added.

    Meanwhile, a source from the same ministry said that at least seven Iraqis were wounded in separate attacks in the Iraqi capital earlier in the day; including a bomb attack targeted an Iraqi undersecretary who escaped unhurt.

    Despite the security gains in recent months in Iraq, there are still sporadic bombings, which shape setback to the Iraqi government.