the upscale Mansour neighborhood , where law enforcement officials have come under frequent attacks in recent weeks . Also Monday , two American soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb north of Baghdad , officials said . The incident occurred about 12:20 p.m. as the soldiers were `` conducting a route-clearance combat operation north of Baghdad , '' according to a news release . The names of the soldiers were not immediately released . Meanwhile , U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in the Iraqi capital Monday on an unannounced visit . Cheney told reporters that the five years in Iraq since the war 's start has been `` well worth the effort . '' He said he met with top Iraqi officials . He appeared at a news conference with Gen. David Petraeus , the top U.S. commander in Iraq , and Ryan Crocker , the U.S. ambassador to the country . Cheney began a trip to the Middle East on Sunday with an official itinerary that listed stops in Oman , Saudi Arabia , Turkey , Israel and the West Bank , according to the White House . E-mail to a friend CNN 's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to
KARBALA , Iraq -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A female suicide bomber apparently targeting Shiite worshippers killed at least 40 people and wounded at least 65 in Karbala on Monday , according to an Interior Ministry official . Iraqi security forces gather around the site of a car bomb explosion in Baghdad on Monday . The incident occurred one-half mile from the Imam Hussein shrine of Karbala . Karbala is a Shiite holy city , and the Imam Hussein shrine is one of Shiite Islam 's holiest locations . The shrine marks the burial spot of Hussein bin Ali , the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed , who was killed in battle nearby in 680 . No more information was immediately available about the blast southwest of the capital city , Baghdad . Earlier Monday , in Baghdad , a roadside bomb exploded near an Iraqi police patrol , killing one officer and wounding another , the Interior Ministry told CNN . A short time later , another roadside bomb exploded near an Iraqi police patrol on Palestine Street in eastern Baghdad , wounding four bystanders , a ministry official said . The first attack took place about 8:30 a.m. in