Britons killed in Baghdad rocket attack

Two British civilians were killed in a rocket grenade attack in Baghdad today, the Foreign Office said.

Two British civilians were killed in a rocket grenade attack in Baghdad today, the Foreign Office said.

The pair, who have not been named, died in the blast just 50 yards from the entrance of the coalition headquarters in the Iraq capital.

An FO spokeswoman would not discuss further details of the incident but reports said a total of four people died when their bullet-proof 4x4 vehicle was targeted.

About an hour later, at least two explosions were heard in central Baghdad, and smoke rose from the vicinity of the Green Zone, which houses the coalition headquarters. A coalition spokeswoman said by telephone that she heard the blasts, but had no information on the cause.

In the earlier blast, American soldiers tried to pull the men from the shattered car, and quickly sealed off the area, said witness Kamel Raji. The blast occurred about 50 yards from the "Assassins Gate," one of the main entrances to the Green Zone.

Mohammed Naem, a police officer who saw the car explode, said the vehicle was a bulletproof Toyota Land Cruiser that was on its way to the convention center in the Green Zone.

On Saturday, a suicide car bomber in Baghdad killed four people and slightly wounded a deputy interior minister in Baghdad. On May 17, the president of the Iraqi Governing Council, Izzadine Saleem, was killed along with at least six other people near the coalition headquarters.