Multiple Explosions Rock Baghdad
At least eight explosions have rocked the Iraqi capital, killing at least 35 people and injuring more than 140 people.
The blasts targeted residential buildings in a mix of Sunni and Shia areas of Baghdad on Tuesday morning.
At least eight explosions have rocked the Iraqi capital, killing at least 35 people and injuring more than 140 people.
The blasts targeted residential buildings in a mix of Sunni and Shia areas of Baghdad on Tuesday morning.
Police said two car bombs were detonated in Bajkouk, Khadamiya district, killing at least five people.
In Baghad's western Shula district, another car bomb exploded,
causing some buildings to collapse. Several people died in the
explosion, Iraqi security sources said.
Residential targets
Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Baghdad, said those attacks occurred in residential neighbourhoods of the capital.
"[Shula] is a mostly Shia neighbourhood. It used to be a former
stronghold of the Mahdi Army, the armed wing of the Sadr movement," our
correspondent said, referring to supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr, a Shia
leader.
Shula has been a relatively quiet neighbourhood, having not seen been the target of attacks in recent months.
Police said another of the blasts was carried out by a suicide
bomber, who detonated explosives on Haifa street in the central Salhiya
neighbourhood, near the national museum.
Our correspondent said it was not yet clear what the target of that attack was.
"We're getting conflicting reports on the target. Some reports say
it was the public works ministry, other reports say he [attacker] blew
himself up outside a popular restaurant," she said.
Al Jazeera has also received reports that a suicide bomber attacked
a police station in southern Baghdad's al-Amel district, although it
was not yet confirmed.
Political unrest
Tuesday's co-ordinated strike follow similar attacks just two days earlier. On Sunday, three suicide car bombsnear foreign diplomatic missions killed at least 30 people and wounded hundreds more.
In the past five days, four attacks have left more than 100 people dead.
The spate of violent attacks comes as Iraqi politicians continue
wranglings to form a coalition government following last month's
general elections. No clear winner emerged from the March 7 poll.
The Sadr political bloc was expected to announce who it would back
for prime minister on Tuesday after holding an unofficial referrendum
among its supporters, but said late on Monday night that the decision
was being postponed.
Nouri al-Maliki, the incumbent prime minister, is reported to have
met the group last night, but no details of any agreement have emerged.
The Sadr bloc has in past indicated it would not support al-Maliki
staying on for another term as prime minister.
Our correspondent in Baghdad said a lot of negotiations are taking
place, but "no agreements so far, no progress, and there is a real fear
that the security situation will deteriorate".
"Over the past few days we've been seeing car bombings, shootings,
mortar round being fired, as well as improvised explosive device
attacks".
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
At least eight explosions have rocked the Iraqi capital, killing at least 35 people and injuring more than 140 people.
The blasts targeted residential buildings in a mix of Sunni and Shia areas of Baghdad on Tuesday morning.
Police said two car bombs were detonated in Bajkouk, Khadamiya district, killing at least five people.
In Baghad's western Shula district, another car bomb exploded,
causing some buildings to collapse. Several people died in the
explosion, Iraqi security sources said.
Residential targets
Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Baghdad, said those attacks occurred in residential neighbourhoods of the capital.
"[Shula] is a mostly Shia neighbourhood. It used to be a former
stronghold of the Mahdi Army, the armed wing of the Sadr movement," our
correspondent said, referring to supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr, a Shia
leader.
Shula has been a relatively quiet neighbourhood, having not seen been the target of attacks in recent months.
Police said another of the blasts was carried out by a suicide
bomber, who detonated explosives on Haifa street in the central Salhiya
neighbourhood, near the national museum.
Our correspondent said it was not yet clear what the target of that attack was.
"We're getting conflicting reports on the target. Some reports say
it was the public works ministry, other reports say he [attacker] blew
himself up outside a popular restaurant," she said.
Al Jazeera has also received reports that a suicide bomber attacked
a police station in southern Baghdad's al-Amel district, although it
was not yet confirmed.
Political unrest
Tuesday's co-ordinated strike follow similar attacks just two days earlier. On Sunday, three suicide car bombsnear foreign diplomatic missions killed at least 30 people and wounded hundreds more.
In the past five days, four attacks have left more than 100 people dead.
The spate of violent attacks comes as Iraqi politicians continue
wranglings to form a coalition government following last month's
general elections. No clear winner emerged from the March 7 poll.
The Sadr political bloc was expected to announce who it would back
for prime minister on Tuesday after holding an unofficial referrendum
among its supporters, but said late on Monday night that the decision
was being postponed.
Nouri al-Maliki, the incumbent prime minister, is reported to have
met the group last night, but no details of any agreement have emerged.
The Sadr bloc has in past indicated it would not support al-Maliki
staying on for another term as prime minister.
Our correspondent in Baghdad said a lot of negotiations are taking
place, but "no agreements so far, no progress, and there is a real fear
that the security situation will deteriorate".
"Over the past few days we've been seeing car bombings, shootings,
mortar round being fired, as well as improvised explosive device
attacks".
At least eight explosions have rocked the Iraqi capital, killing at least 35 people and injuring more than 140 people.
The blasts targeted residential buildings in a mix of Sunni and Shia areas of Baghdad on Tuesday morning.
Police said two car bombs were detonated in Bajkouk, Khadamiya district, killing at least five people.
In Baghad's western Shula district, another car bomb exploded,
causing some buildings to collapse. Several people died in the
explosion, Iraqi security sources said.
Residential targets
Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Baghdad, said those attacks occurred in residential neighbourhoods of the capital.
"[Shula] is a mostly Shia neighbourhood. It used to be a former
stronghold of the Mahdi Army, the armed wing of the Sadr movement," our
correspondent said, referring to supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr, a Shia
leader.
Shula has been a relatively quiet neighbourhood, having not seen been the target of attacks in recent months.
Police said another of the blasts was carried out by a suicide
bomber, who detonated explosives on Haifa street in the central Salhiya
neighbourhood, near the national museum.
Our correspondent said it was not yet clear what the target of that attack was.
"We're getting conflicting reports on the target. Some reports say
it was the public works ministry, other reports say he [attacker] blew
himself up outside a popular restaurant," she said.
Al Jazeera has also received reports that a suicide bomber attacked
a police station in southern Baghdad's al-Amel district, although it
was not yet confirmed.
Political unrest
Tuesday's co-ordinated strike follow similar attacks just two days earlier. On Sunday, three suicide car bombsnear foreign diplomatic missions killed at least 30 people and wounded hundreds more.
In the past five days, four attacks have left more than 100 people dead.
The spate of violent attacks comes as Iraqi politicians continue
wranglings to form a coalition government following last month's
general elections. No clear winner emerged from the March 7 poll.
The Sadr political bloc was expected to announce who it would back
for prime minister on Tuesday after holding an unofficial referrendum
among its supporters, but said late on Monday night that the decision
was being postponed.
Nouri al-Maliki, the incumbent prime minister, is reported to have
met the group last night, but no details of any agreement have emerged.
The Sadr bloc has in past indicated it would not support al-Maliki
staying on for another term as prime minister.
Our correspondent in Baghdad said a lot of negotiations are taking
place, but "no agreements so far, no progress, and there is a real fear
that the security situation will deteriorate".
"Over the past few days we've been seeing car bombings, shootings,
mortar round being fired, as well as improvised explosive device
attacks".