The death toll from a series of bomb blasts in mainly Shi'ite areas of Baghdad on Tuesday has reached 64 with 360 wounded, Iraq's health minister said.
The bombings occurred hours after a memorial service for some of the 52 hostages and police killed in a church raid on Sunday, and as the Iraqi government vowed to improve security for Iraq's Christian minority.
Updated from print edition (below)
At least 63 people were killed and nearly 250 wounded in coordinated car bombings in certain districts across Baghdad on Tuesday, an interior ministry official said.
“Fifty-seven people were killed and 248 were wounded in 11 car bombings. All of the explosions happened at the same time,” the official said.
The bombings targeted areas populated mainly by people from the Shia sect. The bombings occurred hours after a memorial service for some of the 52 hostages and police personnel who were killed in Sunday’s church raid, following which the Iraqi government vowed to step up security for Iraq’s Christian minority.
The third major assault in Iraq since Friday appeared to demonstrate that a weakened but stubborn insurgency has a greater capacity to carry out large-scale strikes than US and Iraqi officials have acknowledged.
Iraq remains in political limbo almost eight months after an inconclusive election, raising fears that Sunni militant groups like al Qaeda might exploit the tensions to try and reignite sectarian war.
“The initial death toll we have so far is 40 killed, 80 wounded. [But] I repeat, it is an initial death toll,” Baghdad security spokesperson Major General Qassim al Moussawi said. “All (the bombings) happened in Shia neighbourhoods.”
Health Minister Saleh al Hasnawi said that 36 people had died, but that the toll could rise, and 320 were wounded, most of whom had been released from hospitals. One police source, who asked not to be named, said that the eventual death toll could exceed 100. One of the biggest explosions appeared to target restaurants and cafes in the slum of Sadr City.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2010.
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