Roadside bomb hits trucks convoy in Baghdad

Baghdad: A roadside bomb exploded near a convoy of trucks carrying equipment belonging to US troops in Baghdad, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said.

The blast took place on Saturday when the convoy was moving on a highway near al-Ghazaliyah neighbourhood in the western part of the Iraqi capital, the official told Xinhua new agency.

There was no immediate information about casualties, he added.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but unidentified militant groups have frequently targeted civilian convoys contracted to the US-led coalition forces in Iraq, which usually travel from neighbouring Kuwait to the coalition bases.

On Friday, the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said a roadside bomb struck a convoy of trucks carrying logistical equipment belonging to the US-led coalition forces in Aweirij, an area on the southern edge of Baghdad.

The attacks came after US President Donald Trump last week reiterated his intention to withdraw American troops from Iraq but gave no detailed timeline.

Speaking to reporters in the White House with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Trump on August 20 said that "we have been taking our troops out of Iraq fairly rapidly, and we look forward to the day when we don't have to be there".

Commander of US Central Command Kenneth McKenzie said at a think tank event earlier this month that he expected US military to maintain a long-term presence in Iraq to help fight Islamic extremists and to check Iranian influence in the country.

The two countries held a strategic dialogue this June, the joint statement of which said that the US would reduce forces from Iraq over the coming months.

Currently, there are over 5,000 US troops deployed in Iraq to support Iraqi forces in battles against remnants of the Islamic State, mainly for training and advisory purposes.

Citing US officials, The New York Times reported last week that US and Iraqi officials had resumed discussions this month that could lead to a reduction to around 3,500 American troops.