Iraqi Ambassador: Russian Embassy Was Not Damaged in Baghdad Bombings

Iraqi Ambassador to Moscow Abbas Khalaf has assured journalists that the Russian embassy was not damaged during the latest bombing of Baghdad.

According to the diplomat, the US-British aviation had dropped "a very powerful bomb." "The blast left a crater 15 meters deep," he said.

Khalaf said his house was located in the district where the bomb exploded. "It is approximately 0.5 kilometers straight on from the embassy," he narrated. "My own home was badly damaged when that bomb exploded." According to the Iraqi embassy, the blast also damaged a well-known restaurant and ruined four apartment houses. "About 30 civilians were killed or wounded," said the ambassador.

Khalaf recalled Western media reports that said the bombings had allegedly been aimed at the bunker where Saddam Hussein had been holding a meeting, and denied the report that said the fighting in Baghdad was taking place near the information ministry. "Fierce clashes are taking place in the western part of the city and near one of the bridges," he said.