2008 Balad bombing
[1] It killed at least 25 and injuring 40 more, though some estimates place the death toll at 33.[1] Some buildings have collapsed and several people have been reported missing, adding to the possible death toll.[1] Among the dead are a driver and Iraqi journalist Alaa Abdulkareem Fartusi, a cameraman for Al-Forat, a Shiite-backed satellite news station.[2] A female reporter was injured in the blast and remains in critical condition.[2] The bombing was on the same day that U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Baghdad unannounced to meet Iraqi government leaders and U.S. commanders, including General David Petraeus.