Day of bomb carnage claims 33 in Iraq
Source: Agencies |
July 4, 2012, Wednesday
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MARKET blasts and other bombings across Iraq killed at least 33 people and wounded nearly 100 yesterday, spooking an already-rattled public and spurring security officials to clamp down on traffic as Shiite Muslims brace for more tragedy during pilgrimages this week.
The wave of morning bombings struck four Iraqi cities, the worst hit being Diwaniyah, 130 kilometers south of Baghdad, where an explosives-laden vegetable truck detonated in a crowded market, killing 25 people and leaving 40 injured.
Vegetable seller Salah Abbas, 41, described a scene of chaos after the blast ripped through the crowd. "There were many charred bodies on the ground," said Abbas, who rushed to help wounded fellow merchants before ambulances arrived.
Yesterday's attacks come as thousands of Shiite pilgrims head to the holy city of Karbala this week for religious ceremonies that are expected to peak on Friday. Shiite pilgrimages are a favorite target of Sunni insurgents linked to al-Qaida, and attacks timed to strike during a similar march in Baghdad last month left 100 dead.
Diwaniyah is located about 40km from Karbala, which also was hit by two bombs in cars parked outside a market in early-morning strikes that killed five people and wounded 30.
Jubair al-Jabouri, chairman of the Qadisiyah provincial council, confirmed the death toll in Diwaniyah, a Shiite city and the provincial capital.
Within hours of the two Karbala bombings, authorities banned vehicles from entering the holy city to protect the pilgrims through Friday.
Bombs struck two other cities in central Iraq shortly before the Diwaniyah attack.
In the Sunni city of Sunni city of Taji, two bombs killed three people and wounded 15. In Baghdad, a roadside bomb exploded next to a police patrol in the Sunni-dominated Ghazaliya neighborhood, injuring three policemen and two civilians.
The wave of morning bombings struck four Iraqi cities, the worst hit being Diwaniyah, 130 kilometers south of Baghdad, where an explosives-laden vegetable truck detonated in a crowded market, killing 25 people and leaving 40 injured.
Vegetable seller Salah Abbas, 41, described a scene of chaos after the blast ripped through the crowd. "There were many charred bodies on the ground," said Abbas, who rushed to help wounded fellow merchants before ambulances arrived.
Yesterday's attacks come as thousands of Shiite pilgrims head to the holy city of Karbala this week for religious ceremonies that are expected to peak on Friday. Shiite pilgrimages are a favorite target of Sunni insurgents linked to al-Qaida, and attacks timed to strike during a similar march in Baghdad last month left 100 dead.
Diwaniyah is located about 40km from Karbala, which also was hit by two bombs in cars parked outside a market in early-morning strikes that killed five people and wounded 30.
Jubair al-Jabouri, chairman of the Qadisiyah provincial council, confirmed the death toll in Diwaniyah, a Shiite city and the provincial capital.
Within hours of the two Karbala bombings, authorities banned vehicles from entering the holy city to protect the pilgrims through Friday.
Bombs struck two other cities in central Iraq shortly before the Diwaniyah attack.
In the Sunni city of Sunni city of Taji, two bombs killed three people and wounded 15. In Baghdad, a roadside bomb exploded next to a police patrol in the Sunni-dominated Ghazaliya neighborhood, injuring three policemen and two civilians.
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