At least 11 killed in 2 suicide bombing in Iraq's Baghdad
Xinhua, February 7, 2015 Adjust font size:
A total of 11 people were killed and some 33 others wounded in two suicide bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Saturday, a police source said.
A suicide bomber blew up an explosive vest at the crowded market of al-Arabi in downtown Baghdad, leaving at least five people killed and some 13 others injured, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Another suicide attack reportedly occurred earlier in the day when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest at a popular restaurant in New Baghdad district in southeastern part of the capital, killing six people and wounding 21, according to the source.
The toll could rise as ambulances and police vehicles evacuated the casualties to nearby hospitals and medical centers, the source added.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack but the Islamic State militant group, in most cases, is responsible for such suicide attacks in the country.
The attacks came on the day that the Iraqi government decided to lift the night-time curfew imposed on the Iraqi capital for years, and to disarm some of Baghdad's districts of Kadhmiyah, Adhamiyah, Mansour, Karrada and Saidiyah.
The government decision to ease security measures was seen as a sign of security improvement in the Iraqi capital, after about six months of Abadi's appointment as prime minister.
Iraq has been gripped by some of the worst violence and terrorist attacks in years, killing at least 12,282 civilians and injuring 23,126 others in 2014, the deadliest year since the flare-up of sectarian violence in 2006-2007, according to a recent UN report. Endit