| Monday, February 12, 2007 |
| Iraq bomb blasts: 55 killed, over 100 hurt as bombs go off in Baghdad |
In continuing violence in Iraq, two car-bombs and a bomb hidden in a plastic bag exploded in the market districts in central Baghdad on Monday.
At least 55 people were killed and over 100 others were wounded in the blasts, police said.
The violence started around 11.50 a.m. when a parcel-bomb exploded in a crowded area near a popular take-away restaurant in the Bab al-Sharqi area. At least nine people were killed and 19 others wounded in that blast.
About 30 minutes later, two cars packed with explosives blew up in quick succession near the Shorja market district, smashing a building and setting stores on fire.
The two blasts occurred within 100 metres of each other.
Mohammed Najaim, a shop owner, whose business caught fire, said one of the cars was parked in a garage under a two-story market called Al-Arabi, next to the Iraqi Central Bank. Flames were coming out of the garage, which holds hundreds of cars, he added.
The attacks came as Iraq's top Shiite cleric urged followers not to take revenge against Sunni Arabs on the first anniversary of the bombing of a Shiite shrine that took the country to the brink of civil war.
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said the bombing of the Samarra mosque, which has been blamed on Sunni militants, had plunged Iraq into a cycle of "blind violence" and called on Shiites to exercise restraint during a day of mourning.
Tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed in a wave of sectarian attacks triggered by the destruction of the al-Askari mosque, one of the holiest in Shiite Islam. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced to flee sectarian cleansing.
The reclusive Sistani, who lives in the holy city of Najaf, is regarded as a voice of moderation. Sistani, who heads the Shiite religious establishment, or Marjaiya, has repeatedly urged Shiites not to get sucked into sectarian conflict.
Sectarian violence triggered by the Samarra bombing has complicated Washington's plans to withdraw about 130,000 troops from Iraq.
Over 3,100 American soldiers have been killed since the US-led invasion to of Iraq topple Saddam in 2003.Labels: iraq |
| posted by a correspondent @ 9:13 PM |
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