Twin explosions in Baghdad kill 6

[Rhiannon12866]

Source: Alanta Journal Constitution

BAGHDAD — Iraqi officials say two explosions in a Shiite neighborhood of eastern Baghdad have killed six people and wounded at least 16 others.

In the first attack, police officials say a motorbike bomb went off near a gathering of day laborers in the Sadr city neighborhood Thursday morning, killing six people and wounding 10 others.

Half an hour later, a roadside bomb exploded near a small tea shop in the same neighborhood, wounding six people.

Medical officials at nearby hospitals confirmed the casualties. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.



Read more: http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/twin-explosions-in-baghdad-1288913.html

[Rhiannon12866]

1. Update: 27 killed as blasts rock Shiite areas of Baghdad

The explosions boost fears that insurgents will renew attacks now that U.S. troops have left. Coordinated bombings targeting Shiites are the hallmark of Sunni militants linked to Al Qaeda.

BAGHDAD— A wave of explosions struck two Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 27 people and intensifying fears that insurgents are stepping up attacks after the U.S. troop withdrawal that was completed last month.

The attacks began with the explosion of a bomb attached to a motorcycle near a bus stop where day laborers gather to look for work in the Sadr city neighborhood. One of those who witnessed the attack said it filled the area with thick black smoke.

<snip>

The two Sadr City blasts killed 12 people, according to police and medical officials.

Less than two hours later, two explosions rocked the Shiite neighborhood of Kazimiyah in the north of the capital, killing 15 people. Officials said the Kazimiyah blasts occurred almost simultaneously, with at least one caused by a car bomb.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fgw-iraq-bombings-20120106,0,880838.story