EΛ TA NEA (C) HELLAS XG 2024: 69 dead and more than 100 injured after a series of car bombs explode on the crowded streets of Baghdad

Κυριακή 11 Αυγούστου 2013

69 dead and more than 100 injured after a series of car bombs explode on the crowded streets of Baghdad

Bloodshed: Smoke rises from the scene of a car bomb attack in Kadhimiya, Baghdad. A wave of car bombings targeted cafes and markets around the Iraqi capital as people celebrated the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan

A series of car bombs in mainly Shi'ite areas of Baghdad killed 69 people and wounded at least 140 on Saturday, police and medical sources said.

The attacks come during a surge in violence in Iraq since the start of the year. The wave of separate explosions targeted markets and busy shopping streets.

The bombings, which appeared coordinated, were similar to attacks in Baghdad on Tuesday in which 50 were killed.

Bloodshed: Smoke rises from the scene of a car bomb attack in Kadhimiya, Baghdad.

A wave of car bombings targeted cafes and markets around the Iraqi capital as people celebrated the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan

Carnage: Iraqi security forces personnel inspect the site of a car bomb attack in Kerbala 68 miles south of Baghdad

Bombing: The bloodshed comes after Iraqi security forces promised to step up efforts to increase security to protect the public during Ramadan. This year's Ramadan was the most violent since 2007, with 671 people killed

Responsibility: No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, though security forces and civilians are frequently targeted by al-Qaida's Iraq branch

The bloodshed also comes after Iraqi security forces promised to step up efforts to increase security to protect the public during the Eid al-Fitr celebrations that mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This year's Ramadan was the most violent since 2007, with 671 people killed.

'My shop's windows were smashed and smoke filled the whole area,' said shoe shop owner Saif Mousa, who survived an attack near his store in New Baghdad.

'I went outside of the shop and I could hardly see because of the smoke... At the end, we had a terrible day that was supposed to be nice because of Eid.'

Many of the attacks occurred within an hour of each other, suggesting a level of coordination in the assaults. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, though security forces and civilians are frequently targeted by al-Qaida's Iraq branch.

Sunni Islamist militants have been regaining momentum in their insurgency against the Shi'ite-led government and have been emboldened by the civil war in neighboring Syria, which has stoked sectarian tensions across the Middle East.

Police said the deadliest of Saturday's attacks took place when a suicide bomber drove his explosive-laden car into a residential area in the town of Tuz Khormato, killing eight people and wounding dozens, Mayor Shalal Abdool said. The town is about 200 kilometers (130 miles) north of the Iraqi capital.

Surge in violence: The death toll in the attacks is the highest single-day total since July 20, when brazen assaults on two prisons near Baghdad plus other attacks left 71 dead

Security fears: More than 1,000 people were killed in Iraq in July, the highest monthly death toll in five years, according to the United Nations

Police said a car bomb exploded near an outdoor market in the Baghdad's southeastern suburbs of Jisr Diyala shortly before sunset, killing seven people and wounding 20.

Also in southeastern Baghdad, officials said a car bomb went off inside a parking lot in the mainly Shiite New Baghdad neighborhood, killing three people.

Another car bomb exploded in a busy street in the Shiite neighborhood of Amil, killing three people and wounding 14, authorities said.

They said another car bomb in Amil killed 3 people and wounded 14. In the holy Shiite city of Karbala, police said four people were killed in a car bomb attack near a cafe at night. Karbala is 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Baghdad.

Police said four people were killed and 15 wounded when a car bomb exploded near a cafe in Baghdad's Shiite neighborhood of Abu Dashir.

In northern Baghdad, a car bomb hit a restaurant in the Shiite area of Khazimiyah, killing five people and wounding 14, authorities said.

Police also said that five people were killed when a car bomb exploded near a cafe in Baghdad's southwestern neighborhood of Baiyaa.

Six people were killed and 15 were wounded in a car bomb explosion in the Shiite neighborhood of Shaab in northeastern Baghdad, officials said.

A car bomb hit near a restaurant in the city's northeastern suburb of Husseiniyah, killing seven people and wounding 15, police said. Also, a car bomb explosion a commercial street in the Dora area in southern Baghdad killed five and wounded 15, authorities said.

Concern: The U.N. described the increase as particularly troubling because the numbers had begun declining five years ago following a series of U.S.-led offensives and a Sunni revolt against al-Qaida in Iraq

Strategic shift: Iraqi officials have attributed the recent uptick in the death toll figures to a change in tactics by insurgents who are now trying to attack crowded, soft civilian targets such as cafes, mosques and markets

Earlier in the day, four people, including two children, were killed when a bomb exploded near a park just south of Baghdad, authorities said.

Later, a car bomb exploded in a busy street in Nasiriyah city in southern Iraq, killing four people and wounding 41 others, officials said. Nasiriyah is about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad.

In the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, a car bomb hit near a Shiite mosque, killing one person and wounding 20 others, police said.

Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures for all the attacks. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to journalists.

The death toll in Saturday's attacks is the highest single-day total since July 20, when brazen assaults on two prisons near Baghdad plus other attacks left 71 dead.

More than 1,000 people were killed in Iraq in July, the highest monthly death toll in five years, according to the United Nations.

The U.N. described the increase as particularly troubling because the numbers had begun declining five years ago following a series of U.S.-led offensives and a Sunni revolt against al-Qaida in Iraq.

Iraqi officials have attributed the recent uptick in the death toll figures to a change in tactics by insurgents who are now trying to attack crowded, soft civilian targets such as cafes, mosques and markets in order to kill as many people as possible.