Iraqi minister survives attack

BASRA, Iraq, March 24 (UPI) -- Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Boulani survived an assassination attempt on his motorcade in Basra, security officials said Monday.

The officials said Boulani's motorcade was attacked late Sunday by men attacking with gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, reported KUNA, the Kuwaiti news agency.

Boulani wasn't hurt in the attack but several cars of the motorcade were damaged. He was in Basra to assess security conditions in the city, where incidents of violence have risen in recent months.