Poland's ambassador to Iraq was wounded on Wednesday when his diplomatic convoy was hit by a series of bombs in central Baghdad, which Polish officials described as an assassination attempt. Iraqi police said one civilian was killed in the attack and five people were wounded, including three embassy officials.
"It was an assassination attempt. Our three cars drove onto mines," a Polish foreign ministry spokesman said in Warsaw. "A few people are wounded. Our ambassador, General Edward Pietrzyk scrambled out (of the wreckage) on his own." Poland backed the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 which toppled Saddam Hussein and currently has around 1,000 troops in the country.
The explosions took place on a busy road in the Arasat district of central Baghdad. Reuters Television pictures showed a European looking man with his head, leg and hands bandaged being evacuated in a helicopter which landed in the street.
Iraqi soldiers said the man, who was surrounded by security guards and troops, was the Polish ambassador. They said other wounded people had been taken by vehicle to the heavily fortified Green Zone for treatment.
Three cars appeared to have been hit in the attack. Two of them were completely burnt out and the third, a sports utility vehicle with shaded windows, carried a red and white looking diplomatic flag, a witness said. The street had been blocked off by Iraqi security forces. Several diplomats have been killed by suspected al Qaeda militants in Baghdad since the 2003 invasion. Last year four Russian diplomats were abducted and killed.
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