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Eastern Baghdad car blast toll up to 32 dead, 63 injured
 (KUNA) -- The latest reports bring up the death toll in the car blast earlier in the day in Sadr City, eastern Baghdad, to 32 and the number of those injured to 63 people, according to Interior Ministry sources. The sources said the explosives team thinks it is most probable the car was rigged with 200 kilograms of explosives. They said this 'preliminary' tally of victims was provided by Kindi and Sadr Hospitals and from medical teams who took part in rescue and recovery at the scene. The sources said the blast set fire to seven civilian vehicles, including a minibus that was transporting passengers from Sadr City and caused damage to a nearby building and 10 shops in close proximity.The American Army had in a statement today reported that Iraqi forces managed to free two hostages and arrest eight of the kidnappers involved in the so-called death squads in Sadr City. It said confrontations erupted in the area between Iraqi and US forces on the one hand and militants on the other. The joint forces, it said, came under heavy shooting from several locations using small arms, automatic weapons, and RPGs. The statement would not say whether the confrontations were actually in Sadr City but Iraqi Police sources said there were raids and violent confrontations this morning when Iraqi-US forces broke into the city. The sources said that joint forces backed up with helicopters broke into sector seven of the city early this morning, which led to the heavy confrontations, and added the toll is yet to be known. Posted by: Fred 2006-07-24 |
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