AS-SALIYAH (Qatar) April 26: The US military said on Saturday a blast outside Baghdad that left at least six people dead was the result of an attack on US soldiers guarding a cache of captured Iraqi ammunition.

“An unknown number of individuals attacked US 3rd Infantry Division soldiers who were guarding a cache of captured Iraqi ammunition near Baghdad this morning,” the US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement.

“During the attack, the assailant fired an unknown incendiary device into the cache, causing it to catch fire and explode. The explosion caused the destruction of the cache as well as a nearby building,” Centcom said.

It said six bodies were found while another four people, including one US soldier, were wounded. Witnesses said the toll could have been as high as 14.

Local residents hurled stones at US troops on the scene, blaming the US military for keeping the ammunition within a residential area.—AFP