Senior Iraqi official escapes roadside bomb attack

BAGHDAD – Police and hospital officials say a senior Iraqi official has escaped a roadside bomb attack but three of his guards were wounded.

The officials say Tuesday's blast struck the convoy carrying the director-general of the customs agency in central Baghdad.

They say police Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Attiyah was on his way to work and wasn't harmed. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it comes as tensions are high ahead of Saturday's provincial elections.

The vote is expected to redistribute power among Iraq's fractured ethnic and religious groups, and the U.S. military has warned it expects insurgents to try to disrupt it.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki waves to supporters during an election campaign rally in Hilla, 100 km (62 miles) south of Baghdad January 26, 2009. U.S. President Barack Obama will withdraw forces from Iraq sooner than the three-year deadline agreed by ex-president George W. Bush, al-Maliki said on Monday. REUTERS/Iraqi Government/Handout (IRAQ). FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki

In this image released by the Iraqi Government, Prime Minister Nouri al-Malikiis greeted by schoolgirls at a political rally south of Baghdad, Iraq on Monday, Jan. 26, 2009. Iraq's prime minister said Monday he believes the U.S. will withdraw its troops quicker than the three-year timeline set down in a U.S.-Iraq security agreement. (AP Photo/Iraqi Government HO)