Bomb misses U.S. ambassador to Iraq

NASIRIYAH, Iraq, July 12 (UPI) -- Chris Hill, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, was unharmed Sunday when a roadside bomb detonated as his convoy traveled through southern Iraq, officials said.

The bomb, described by a military official as small, slightly damaged the vehicle in front of the one in which Hill was riding, USA Today reported. No one was hurt by the blast, which occurred at Nasiriyah, the capital of Dhi Qar province, the newspaper said.

"There was a bang, and we went through a thick cloud of smoke," Hill told USA Today. "We are all fine."

Maj. Myles Caggins, a U.S. military spokesman, said it was unknown whether the ambassador was targeted. However, he said, it is unusual for Western civilian convoys to be attacked in that part of Iraq.

There is a U.S. military base outside Nasiriyah, which has been largely peaceful since even before U.S. troops were pulled out of Iraqi cities June 30.

Hill was in the region to meet with local political leaders and U.S. and Italian civilians working on reconstruction efforts.

Anna Prouse, the Italian leader of the reconstruction team in the province, said efforts to rebuild Iraq could be set back by such attacks.

"How can we tell foreign investors to come here, when for the first time the ambassador comes and sits down to listen to people and their ideas and you (attempt to) blow him up?" Prouse said. "These elements are few, but it is now up to Iraqi forces to go get them."