Baghdad funeral procession hit as dozens killed in suicide car bombing

 

Baghdad

News in pictures
News in pictures
On Facebook
From the blogs

The Debate: Should brothels be legalised?

While some will hold the sex workers should be respected in their resistance to the upheaval, it is ...

DJ Fresh: I’ve never been so excited about making music

“I wouldn’t say I’m going for my third consecutive number one,” says Dan, “It’s dangerous to become ...

Eurovision and human rights in Azerbaijan

On 26 May 2012, Azerbaijan’s capital city, Baku, will host the Eurovision Song Contest. Few of the i...

Taking away benefits from heroin users won’t solve anything

It was reported today that Ian Duncan Smith is threatening to stop heroin addicts from being able to...

A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed car near a funeral
procession in south-eastern Baghdad today, killing at least 28 people
in the latest brazen attack since the US troop withdrawal, officials
said.


Police officials said the blast occurred at 11:00 a.m. in the predominantly Shia neighborhood of Zafaraniyah, where mourners had gathered for the funeral of a person killed the day before. They said 61 people were wounded in the attack.

Hospital officials confirmed the death toll. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

Salam Hussein, a 42-year-old grocery store owner in Zafaraniyah said he was watching the funeral procession, which was guarded by several police cars, when the blast blew out his store windows and injured one of his workers.

"It was a huge explosion," Hussein said. As he took his worker to the hospital, Hussein said he saw cars engulfed in flames, "human flesh scattered around and several mutilated bodies in a pool of blood" around where the attacker's car had exploded.

Across Iraq, at least 200 people have been killed in a wave of attacks by suspected insurgents since the beginning of the year, raising concerns that the surge in violence and an escalating political crisis might deteriorate into a civil war, just weeks after the U.S. military withdrawal.

Most of the dead have been Shiite pilgrims and members of the Iraqi security forces.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Friday's attack.

Since the United States completed its pullout last month, militant groups — mainly al-Qa'ida in Iraq — have stepped up attacks targeting the country's majority Shiites to undermine confidence in the Shiite-led government and its efforts to protect people without American backup.

On Thursday, 17 people died in bombings around the country, including seven people in attacks on Baghdad's s two predominantly Sunni districts, suggesting that Shiite militants could be retaliating amid fears of a reignited sectarian conflict in the war-ravaged country.

AP

Career Services

Day In a Page

Andreas Whittam Smith: Authenticity is a great asset in a leader. David Cameron lacks it

Andreas Whittam Smith

Authenticity is a great asset in a leader. David Cameron lacks it
Back in the thick of it... Alastair Campbell returns to work as a spin doctor

Back in the thick of it... Alastair Campbell returns to work as a spin doctor

Labour's master of media manipulation is back in the PR business
Supermarkets accused of ripping off shoppers with 'misleading' offers

Supermarkets accused of ripping off shoppers with 'misleading' offers

Which? survey reveals that buying single items can often be cheaper than attractive-looking multipack promotions
The art of industrial espionage

The art of industrial espionage

Corporate investigation may lack the glamour of Bond and Bourne, but the two worlds aren't so far removed...
From fashion to film: Jean Paul Gaultier on his week as a Cannes juror

Jean Paul Gaultier: From fashion to film

The fashion designer discusses his week as a Cannes juror
Therapist who tried to 'cure' me of being gay thrown out – but the system is still broken

Therapist who tried to 'cure' me of being gay thrown out...

... but the system is still broken, says Patrick Strudwick
In a Sudanese field, cluster bomb evidence proves just how deadly this war has become

In a Sudanese field, cluster bomb evidence proves just how deadly this war has become

Aris Roussinos speaks to the villagers demanding UN help
'I don't want it to be boring': Former circus producer reveals plans for Diamond Jubilee river parade

Diamond Jubilee river parade

Former circus producer Adrian Evans reveals his plans for the Thames Pageant
VIP treatment: Life is golden in the Olympic fast lane

VIP treatment: Life is golden in the Olympic fast lane

As the rest of us get used to being also-rans in the race for tickets, a chosen few are preparing to enjoy nothing but the very best of London 2012
Forest guards told to shoot poachers on sight after rash of tiger killings

Forest guards told to shoot poachers on sight after rash of tiger killings

India hits back against hunters who sell body parts to Asia for use in traditional medicines
Mining tycoon beats Wal-Mart heiress to title of richest woman

Mining tycoon beats Wal-Mart heiress to title of richest woman

Industrialist Gina Rinehart earns £32m a day from her Australian iron-ore concerns
Language: The cussing room floor

Language: The cussing room floor

Ken Loach is the latest director to complain about censorship. The rules on swearing are so arbitrary, it's no wonder he's effing and blinding
The 10 best car gadgets

The 10 best car gadgets

From a wide-angle HD camera to a satnav that shows you real-time images of the road ahead...
James Lawton: Gary needs to the find key to Wayne's desolate world

James Lawton: Gary needs to find key to Wayne's desolate world

Has Neville been called in by Roy Hodgson to monitor the mood of his former team-mate?
Jessica Ennis: Olympic hope faces new hurdles

Jessica Ennis: Olympic hope faces new hurdles

Despite her great form Great Britain's heptathlon star tells Simon Turnbull there are many rivals who might 'get it right on the night' in London