Up to eight cars packed with explosives blew up in the
co-ordinated attack yesterday. Security has been rapidly
deteriorating in Iraq this month. More than 450 people have been
killed in sectarian violence exacerbated by anti-government
protests and the war in neighbouring Syria.
Two attacks today, a bomb left on a Baghdad minibus and a
suicide truck bomb at a police checkpoint north of the capital,
killed seven more people.
The deadliest attack in the first series of bombings happened
when two bombs exploded in the eastern Habibiya area on the edge
of the sprawling Shia district of Sadr City, killing 12 and
wounding 35.
Twin blasts killed six at an open-air market in al-Maalif.
Another car bomb exploded in the busy commercial district of
Sadoun Street.
That explosion killed five civilians and wounded 14. Among
the wounded were four policemen who were at a nearby checkpoint.
The central street is one of the capital’s main commercial
areas and is lined with clinics, chemists’ stores and other
shops.
A bomb went off in the eastern New Baghdad area as officers
were waiting for explosives experts to dismantle it. A civilian
was killed and nine others wounded. In the north, a blast in the
Sabi al-Boor area killed eight civilians and wounded 26.
In the Kazimiyah district, a car bomb blew up near a bus and
taxi stop, killing four and wounding 11. There was no immediate
claim of responsibility for the attacks, but they bore the
hallmarks of al Qaeda’s Iraqi arm.
The group, known as the Islamic State of Iraq, frequently
co-ordinate bomb blasts in an effort to undermine Iraqis’
confidence in the Shia-led government.
The surge in attacks is reminiscent of the sectarian carnage
that pushed the country to the brink of civil war in 2006 and
2007. April was Iraq’s deadliest month since June 2008,
according to UN figures that put last month’s death toll at more
than 700.
The bloodshed was the worst since last Monday, when a wave of
attacks killed 113 people in Shia and Sunni areas.
The recent wave of bombings has raised tensions between the
Sunni minority and Shias. Since late December, members of the
Sunni community have been protesting against the government.
They cite a range of grievances, including poor services,
discrimination and the application of tough anti-terrorism
policies they believe unfairly target their sect.