U.S. Military: Report of 18 Boys Killed in Ramadi Is False

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A report that 18 boys were killed this week in a car bombing in Ramadi is "false," a senior U.S. military official said Wednesday.

Iraqi state television reported Tuesday that the attack occurred that day in the Sunni insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad. Iraqi police and military confirmed the account, but later said the bombing took place Monday. The offices of the president and prime minister had also denounced the reported attack.

The report brought denunciations from top Iraqi officials and international groups about violence targeting children.

But Rear Adm. Mark Fox, a U.S. military spokesman, said "the allegation was false" and suggested that rumors began circulating after a controlled detonation by U.S. forces caused injuries in Ramadi.

On Tuesday, a military statement said 30 civilians and one Iraqi soldier were injured by flying debris when troops destroyed 15 bags of explosives. None of the injuries was life-threatening, it added.

"There was no second blast," Fox told reporters, "and there was no 18 children killed."

Complete coverage is available in FOXNews.com's Iraq Center.