| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq |
| Baghdad hit by deadly blasts on invasion anniversary |
| 2013-03-19 |
| At least 48 people have been killed in a series of car and suicide bombings mainly in Shia areas in and around Iraq's capital, Baghdad, officials say. The co-ordinated attacks targeted markets, restaurants, bus stops and day labourers during the morning rush hour. Iraq's deadliest day in six months came on the 10th anniversary of the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Violence has decreased in Iraq since the peak of the insurgency in 2006 and 2007, but bombings are still common. Sunni Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda have vowed to step up attacks on Shia targets and state officials this year in an attempt to provoke sectarian conflict and weaken the Shia-led government. In a sign of concern over the security situation, the cabinet announced that it was delaying elections scheduled for 20 April in the provinces of Anbar and Nineveh by up to six months. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #1 fatality count at 65 as of nightfall local time |
| Posted by: lord garth 2013-03-19 20:48 |