2 civilians wounded as bomb explodes near minister’s motorcade

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Two civilians were wounded on Thursday in a bomb explosion that targeted the motorcade of the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Abd Ziyab al-Ugeili in central Baghdad, a police source said. “An explosive charge, planted by unknown gunmen near al-Nedal street in central Baghdad, went off on Thursday (Jan. 15) while the motorcade of the minister was passing, injuring two civilians,” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency. “The wounded were rushed to the nearby Ibn al-Nafees hospital for treatment,” he added. For her part, the media director of the higher education ministry, Siham al-Sujieri, denied targeting the minister, asserting that the explosion was not targeting the minister’s motorcade, which was far from the blast. SH (P)/SR 1