A suicide car bomb targeting an American convoy exploded Sunday near a checkpoint in the troubled northern city of Mosul, killing one Iraqi and wounding 38 others, US officials said. The attack in Mosul, considered the last urban stronghold of al Qaida in Iraq, comes as military operations are being conducted there ahead of a June 30 deadline for US forces to pull out of Iraq's cities.
The Iraqi government has said the deadline for US troops to withdraw will not be extended, despite concerns by American military commanders that Iraqi forces may not be ready to take on security for the city. Lieutenant Colonel David Doherty, a military spokesman, said initial reports showed 38 people were injured and one other was killed. He said there were no reports of American casualties.