BAGHDAD: A series of bombings struck near markets, cafes and the theatre in Baghdad yesterday, the deadliest in nationwide attacks in which 22 people and 12 militants were killed.
The bloodshed, which left more than 70 wounded across the country, was the latest in a protracted surge in violence that has forced Iraq to appeal for international help in combatting militancy just months before its first general election in four years.
The deadliest attacks struck in Baghdad, where a wave of evening bombings targeted civilians in both Sunni and Shia neighbourhoods of the capital. From 6pm onwards, four car bombs and three roadside bombs hit areas ranging from the Shia slum neighbourhood of Sadr City in northeast Baghdad to the western Sunni suburb of Radhwaniyah.
A car bomb went off near the National Theatre in the centre of the capital, while blasts also struck a market in south Baghdad and a cafe in the north.
Overall, at least 17 people were killed and more than 50 wounded, according to security and medical officials. The explosions are part of a months-long trend of attacks timed to go off in the evening as Iraqis mass at public meeting places. AFP
