Shiite Muslim pilgrims watch the sunset in the holy city of Najaf in central Iraq. At least 54 people were killed and 123 wounded in a double bomb attack in central Baghdad late Thursday.

Bombs kill more than 50 in Baghdad


By ANNA JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD - Two bombs went off within minutes of each other in a crowded shopping district in the capital Thursday, killing at least 53 people and wounding 130 — a reminder that deadly attacks are a daily threat even though violence is down.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility. But back-to-back bombings — designed to maximize carnage — became the hallmark of attacks on civilians by al-Qaida in Iraq during the worst of the violence in Baghdad in 2006.
Like in previous such attacks, the tactic seeks to draw in the people with the first blast — especially security and medical workers — before a second bomb detonates.
Iraqis were enjoying a pleasant spring evening when a roadside bomb hidden under a vendor stall detonated in the primarily Shiite, middle-class Baghdad neighborhood of Karradah. Five minutes later, a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt detonated, Mohammed al-Rubaie, the head of the Karradah municipality, told the state-run Al-Iraqiya TV.
He said more than 50 civilians were killed and more than 100 injured. Many of the victims were teens or young adults, and four were women, police and officials at three hospitals said.
Interior Ministry officials and hospital officials said 53 people were killed and 130 were wounded. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because not authorized to speak to media.
Hassan Abdullah, who owns a clothing shop in the area, said he was walking to the site of the first blast to see what happened when the second bomb went off.
“I saw a leg and a hand falling near me as I was walking. The whole place was a mess. Wounded people were crying for help, and people started to run away,” said Abdullah, 25. “The aim of such attacks is the random killing of as many people as possible in order to terrorize Iraqi people.” A police officer said the blasts also damaged seven shops and four parked cars. Like the rest of those who provided information, he spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release information….

</img>

</img>

</img>

</img>

</img>

</img>