IRAQ: Thirty-seven people are killed in ten car bomb attacks across the Iraqi capital Baghdad

Record ID: 488962

  • Title: IRAQ: Thirty-seven people are killed in ten car bomb attacks across the Iraqi capital Baghdad
  • Date: 27th October 2013
  • Summary: AL-MASHTAL DISTRICT, BAGHDAD, IRAQ (OCTOBER 27, 2013) (REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING AROUND BLAST SCENE/ RUBBLE / DAMAGED MINIBUSES IN BACKGROUND DAMAGED MINIBUSES / PEOPLE WALKING PAST MAN LOOKING INSIDE DAMAGED MINIBUS DAMAGED SHOP AND PEOPLE NEARBY DAMAGED SHOP CEILING / DAMAGED FURNITURE AND PEOPLE EXAMINING DAMAGE DAMAGED AND SCATTERED FURNITURE OF SHOP (SOUNDBITE) (A
  • Embargoed: 11th November 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Iraq
  • Country: Iraq
  • Topics: Crime,General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA95JXTBSMU2B0WUXM04BO3CXOO
  • Story Text: Ten car bombs exploded across Baghdad early on Sunday (October 27), killing at least 37 people, police and medics said.
    Nine of the blasts took place in predominantly Shi'ite districts, with the deadliest attack in the town of Nahrawan, south of the capital, where two car bombs exploded in quick succession near a busy market, killing seven people.
    One car bomb explosion hit a bus station in the Al-Mashtal district in eastern Baghdad, killing two people and wounding three others, police said.
    The blast damaged a number of vehicles and nearby shops.
    Local residents urged the Iraqi government to tighten security measures in public places like markets and bus stations which draw large crowds of people.
    "It is a bus station, it is supposed to have special protection and intelligence work is needed too to provide protection. Security forces are doing their duty, but they had to give special attention to the places targeted by the attacks, which are places where large people gather like bus stations. How can this car drive into the station at rush hour in the morning. Buses here go to different areas and it is crowded and they (the government) know that terrorism are targeting people, innocent civilians, people gathering and gatherings of daily-wage workers, markets and alike", local resident of the predominately Shi'ite area, Fouad said.
    Shi'ites have been targeted by Sunni Muslim insurgents including al Qaeda who have been regaining momentum this year after being forced underground in 2007.
    Insurgents have exploited growing anger among Iraq's Sunni minority, which complains it has been marginalised under the Shi'ite-led government that came to power following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
    Sectarian tensions have been further exacerbated by the civil war in neighbouring Syria, which has drawn Sunnis and Shi'ites from Iraq and the wider region into battle against each other.
    Violence, which reached a climax in 2006-07 before starting to ease, is now on the rise again, with around 3,000 civilians killed so far this year, according to monitoring group Iraq Body Count.
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