BAGHDAD — Just before U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters in the Green Zone on Wednesday that safety and security for Iraq are within reach, a car bomb rocked a nearby neighborhood in what appeared to be the deadliest blast in Baghdad since September.
Police said at least 18 people were killed and 38 were injured when the bomb exploded about 5 p.m. in Karrada, a bustling Shiite-majority neighborhood that abuts the Green Zone.
The explosion wasn’t audible in the confines of the Green Zone building where Gates met with reporters, but it was heard throughout much of central Baghdad, where blasts have become relatively rare.
In July, a truck bomb collapsed buildings in the neighborhood and killed at least 50 and perhaps as many as 90.
Gates said his discussions with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki focused on how to sustain the current lull in violence and prepare Iraqis to police themselves. One large U.S. military unit will leave this month, and four more are scheduled to withdraw by the end of July.
“More than ever, I believe that a secure, stable, democratic Iraq is within reach,” Gates said. “We need to be patient, but we also need to be absolutely resolved in our desire to see the nascent signs of hope across Iraq expand and flourish, so that all Iraqis can enjoy peace and prosperity.”
More than 70,000 people have signed on to citizen militias, he said, adding that there are plans to incorporate them into Iraqi security forces or find them other jobs.
Still, violence in Iraq is a way of life. Outside Baghdad, police said at least eight people were killed and 28 injured Wednesday when car bombs exploded in Kirkuk, Baqubah and Mosul.
Muhammed Arubayee, head of the Karrada neighborhood, said Gates’ visit probably spurred the attack. One building was destroyed, and six storefronts were damaged.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
