Middle East News

At least eight Iraqis killed in wave of bombings (2nd Lead)

Jul 21, 2009, 9:41 GMT

Baghdad - A wave of bombings in Iraq left at least eight dead and dozens more wounded in Baghdad and areas to the west of the capital on Tuesday, police and witness said.

As the day broke, a powerful explosion killed at least five people instantly and left more than 13 others wounded in the Baghdad neighbourhood of Sadr City, witnesses told the German Press Agency dpa.

The blast targeted construction workers who had gathered to look for work for the day, they said.

Soon after, twin bomb blasts wounded a total of at least 10 people at traffic intersections in the central Baghdad neighbourhoods of Karada and Makat, police said.

At least four people were wounded in the Karada bombing, and at least six were wounded in the Makat attack, they said.

At a restaurant by the side of a highway near Ramadi, some 120 kilometres west of the capital, a car bomb killed at least three people and wounded more than 19 others, police there told dpa.

The explosion took place near the village of Abu Dhiab, north of Ramadi, at a restaurant catering to travelers, police said, adding that they had cordoned off the area and were searching for those responsible.

The car bombing was the latest in a wave of similar attacks in the area.

Meanwhile police in Faluja on Tuesday announced they were imposing a curfew on the city, starting at noon and in effect until further notice. The move came in response to a rash of similar recent bombings in the city, which was formerly the site of some of the worst fighting between insurgents and US and Iraqi troops.