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US military blames al-Qaida in Iraq for bombing
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Meanwhile, Georgia _ the third largest contributor to the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq _ said it is pulling out its entire 2,000-strong contingent from Iraq to join the fighting in the breakaway province of South Ossetia as soon as transport can be arranged.
A U.S. military spokesman said the departure of the Georgians will have "some impact" in the near term but no significant long-term effect on Iraq's security.
Col. Bondo Maisuradze, commander of the Georgia brigade, told The Associated Press Saturday that all his troops would be leaving, but he couldn't say when because transportation arrangements had not been finalized. "All the Georgian guys will be leaving for the homeland," he said.
The Georgians have asked the United States to provide transportation, and U.S. spokesman Capt. Charles G. Calio said all options are being considered.
In scattered violence Saturday, a bodyguard who works for Youth and Sports Minister Jassim Mohammed Ja'afar was gunned down outside his home near the city of Kirkuk, according to a police source who did not want to be named because he is not authorized to disclose the information.
Also in northern Iraq, gunmen shot dead a 50-year-old woman outside her home in the al-Maamoun district in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad.
In the capital, an American soldier was killed and two others were wounded in a roadside bombing Friday night, the U.S. military said.
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Associated Press writer Bushra Juhi contributed to this report.
