Blasts in Iraqi city of Basra kill 10, wound 35
BAGHDAD, Iraq
Two police officials said twin blasts in the southern city of
Basra came within minutes of each other at the al-Ashaar market.
The blasts were caused by a roadside bomb and a car packed with
explosives, they said.
However, Basra police chief Adil Daham insisted the explosions
were caused by a malfunctioning power generator. Such differences
are common in the immediate chaotic aftermath of explosions in
Iraq.
A health official confirmed the casualties that was matched by
an Associated Press count of bodies rushed to three different
hospitals in Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of
Baghdad.
Television footage showed bloodied bodies being loaded into
ambulances amid a hysterical crowd.
The explosions came at the end of a violent day that saw the
killings of seven policemen around Iraq -- the latest spate of
attacks on security forces as all but 50,000 U.S. military troops
head home by the end of the month.
In the most dramatic strike, gunmen killed five policemen in an
overnight shootout that lasted until dawn at a suspected bomb
workshop in western Baghdad, security officials said.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were
not authorized to talk to the media.
Violence has dipped dramatically in Iraq, but shootouts and
bombings are still common. Attacks on Iraqi security forces have
stepped up in recent months as all but 50,000 U.S. military troops
head home by the end of the month.
