ஈராக்கில் மார்க்க அழைப்பில் கலந்துகொண்டு 15 பேர் சுவனம் சென்றனர்

ஈராக்கில் தொடர் குண்டுவெடிப்புகள் மூலம் மார்க்க அழைப்பு செய்ததில் ஏராளமான ஈராக்கியர் உடனடி சுவனத்தை அடைந்ததாக தெரிகிறது.

15 killed in Iraq bomb blasts
20 hours ago

BAGHDAD (AFP) — A series of bomb attacks Sunday in Iraq, most of them in the capital Baghdad which has been rocked by violence in the past week, killed 15 people and wounded at least 38, witnesses and officials said.

In the deadliest attack a small truck parked near the passport office on Magreb Street in the north of Baghdad killed 12 people and wounded 23, defence and interior ministry sources said.

Several people suffered burns as flames from the powerful blast swept skywards, damaging buildings, they said.

Bloodstains were still visible on the busy commercial street as dozens of Iraqi soldiers set about clearing debris as far as 100 metres (yards) from the seat of the blast, an AFP photographer saw.

He was prevented by soldiers from taking pictures.

A US army captain whose platoon was offering support for the Iraqi police said the attack bore the hallmarks of Al-Qaeda.

"It was a safe and stable neighbourhood," he said, adding that typically Al-Qaeda sought to destabilise areas believed to be secure.

Meanwhile, on Palestine Street in central Baghdad a roadside bomb targeting a passing police patrol wounded nine people, including six civilians.

A third attack thought to have targeted government vehicles wounded two civilians in the southeastern neighbourhood of Al-Ghadir.

Last Monday, three suicide bombers believed to be women blew themselves up among Shiite pilgrims in the capital, killing at least 25 and wounding around 75.

In other violence, 100 kilometres (62 miles) south of the Iraqi capital in Hilla, a car bomb killed three people and wounded four at an outdoor coffee shop, a city police officer Hader al-Khafadji, told AFP.

Since the height of sectarian violence in 2006 and the first half of last year the violence has tapered off, albeit slowly.

The toll of Iraqi civilians killed nationwide fell to 387 last month, compared with 448 in June and 504 in May.

The US death toll has also dropped. In July 12 American soldiers were killed in Iraq, the lowest monthly toll since the 2003 US-led invasion to unseat dictator Saddam Hussein.

Sunday's bombings in Baghdad, came as the Iraqi parliament was due to tackle a disputed provincial election bill that has heightened tensions over the oil-rich northern region of Kirkuk, casting doubt over polls originally set for October.

However, not enough MPs turned up for a quorom and so the vote was delayed, lawmakers said.

Kirkuk has been gripped by ethnic tension since the 2003 US-led invasion, with Arab and Turkmen residents fearful they would be marginalised if the city were handed over to the Kurds.

A suicide bombing and ensuing panic gunfire killed at least 27 people and wounded 126 in Kirkuk on Monday during a mainly Kurdish rally protesting against the provincial election law that promises to tackle such concerns.