Ten more people were reportedly taken hostage today in Iraq.

Ten more people were reportedly taken hostage today in Iraq.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Bombs exploded near a U.S. convoy in western Baghdad today, killing 35 children and seven adults, a hospital official said. Hours earlier, a suicide car bomb killed a U.S. soldier and two Iraqis on the capital's outskirts.
The day of violence left 46 people dead and 208 wounded.
The bombs in Baghdad's al-Amel neighborhood caused the largest death toll of children in any insurgent attack since the conflict began 17 months ago.
It was unclear if the bombs -- which also wounded 141 people, including 10 U.S. soldiers -- targeted the convoy or a ceremony marking the opening of a new sewage system that was taking place at the same time.
A U.S. helicopter evacuated some of the wounded while other aircraft circled overhead. U.S. forces sealed off the area.
Car bomb
In the northern city of Tal Afar, meanwhile, a car bomb targeting the police chief killed at least four people and wounded 16, Iraqi and U.S. officials said. A police officer speaking on condition of anonymity said the police chief, whose name was only given as Col. Ismail, escaped the assassination attempt.
There were conflicting accounts about what caused the blast. Military spokeswoman Capt. Angela Bowman said it was a car bomb, but police in nearby Mosul said it was a device planted in the road.
Hostages
Also today, the Arab news network Al-Jazeera showed video of 10 new hostages seized in Iraq by militants. Al-Jazeera said the 10 -- six Iraqis, two Lebanese and two Indonesian women -- were taken by The Islamic Army in Iraq. The group has claimed responsibility for seizing two French journalists last month.
A Lebanese official later said kidnappers had released one Lebanese captive, although it was not clear if he was among the 10.
Interior Ministry spokesman Col. Adnan Abdul-Rahman said two car bombs and a roadside bomb exploded in swift succession as the convoy was passing. The attack occurred about 1 p.m. in the al-Amel neighborhood, said Lt. Col. Jim Hutton, spokesman for the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division.
Yarmouk Hospital received 37 bodies -- including those of 34 children -- and 127 wounded, said Dr. Nibras Hamdan. Hutton said 10 American soldiers were among the wounded.
Resident Samir Abul-Karim said the attack happened during a ceremony marking the opening of a new sewage system in the neighborhood. Body parts were strewn in the streets amid pools of blood, and a U.S. helicopter evacuated some of the wounded while others circled.
Hours earlier, a suicide car bomber struck in the Abu Ghraib area outside of Baghdad, killing the American and at least two Iraqis, and wounding 60, said Dr. Abbas al-Timimi. Three of the wounded were U.S. troops, said Maj. Philip Smith, spokesman for the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division.
That bomb targeted a compound housing the mayor's office, a police station and other buildings, police 1st Lt. Ahmed Jawad said. A U.S. Bradley fighting vehicle parked in front of the compound was hit, he said.
Elsewhere on the outskirts of Baghdad, insurgents fired a rocket today at a logistical support area for coalition forces, killing one soldier and wounding seven, the military said in a statement. No further information was disclosed -- including whether or not it was a U.S. soldier.
Meanwhile today, the United States targeted a suspected terrorist safe house in Fallujah, killing at least four Iraqis. The military said intelligence reports indicated the house was being used by followers of Jordanian terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to plan attacks against U.S.-led forces.
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