An ammunition dump has blown up in a residential area in the Iraqi capital, setting off deadly explosions and sparking angry demonstrations against the US military.
US commanders say at least six people died in the blasts, when unknown attackers fired flares into the exposed ordnance. About 50 other Iraqis and one U-S soldier were reported wounded.
Hundreds of angry Baghdad residents converged on the area and blamed US forces for the blasts, which sent rockets and mortars raining down on their neighborhood.
Protesters threw stones and fired at US soldiers who tried to treat the wounded. Hundreds of other Iraqis drove around the city behind a truck carrying six coffins, while shouting anti-American slogans.
The US Central Command said the dump was placed in the residential area by the former Iraqi government and this showed Saddam Hussein's contempt for the Iraqi people. US authorities say the former regime has stored explosives in schools and residential areas across Baghdad.
Coalition troops have been struggling to bring security to the Iraqi capital since Saddam Hussein's regime collapsed earlier this month. They also have been rounding up senior figures from the former government.
US officials say the former Iraqi intelligence chief, a man with possible links to the al-Qaida terrorist organization, was taken into custody Friday. US authorities said Farouk Hijazi was captured near the Syrian border, hours after former Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz surrendered to US officials.