By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A car bomb detonated near a police patrol Monday killing at least one police officer outside a gate leading into the fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad, the headquarters of the Iraqi government and US forces in Iraq, police said.
The explosion was followed by small arms fire and billowing black smoke that could be seen across the city. Police Capt. Nabil Abdelqadir said at least one police officer was killed and four police officers and three civilians injured.
Two Apache attack helicopters were soon flying over the scene as the smoke cleared and sporadic gunfire continued in the area. The blast occurred between the Green Zone gate, which is surrounded by massive blast walls, and the nearby Iranian embassy, witnesses said.