Tuesday, October 26, 2004. 1:00am (AEST); Australians may have been target of bombing: Minister

The Foreign Minister says Australians may have been the target of a suicide car bombing in Baghdad which injured three Australian soldiers. At least two Iraqis were killed in the blast near the Australian embassy and a local school. Two of the three Australian soldiers injured in the attack have now been released from hospital in Iraq and a third who suffered serious facial injuries is expected to make a full recovery after undergoing surgery. The blast hit a convoy of three Australian light armoured vehicles, it was witnessed by United States Army Major Scott Stanger. "It was an Iraqi taxi cab and it parked on the side of the road there waited for a target which was obviously the Australians and they blew up," he said.

The Foreign Minister Alexander Downer had previously told Lateline it may never be known whether Australians were the target of the attack. "I couldn't really be sure I mean it's possible it was a specific attack on Australian vehicles," he said.