35 Die as Wave of Attacks Targets Iraq Police
A swift series of bombings and shootings killed 35 people across the Iraqi capital early Thursday in attacks that mostly appeared to target police, officials said.
In the worst attack, a car bomb went off near a security checkpoint in Baghdad’s downtown shopping district of Karradah killing nine people. Twenty-six people were wounded in that attack, including four policemen, the officials said.
Associated Press footage of the scene showed blood-covered people walking away, and storefronts at several nearby shops were damaged. A gray cloud of smoke hung over the blast site where cars were charred and crumpled.
At least eight more bombs exploded during the morning across Baghdad, killing 18 more people.
And on opposite sides of the capital, gunmen with silenced pistols killed a total of eight policemen at security checkpoints, officials said.
The casualties were confirmed by Baghdad hospital officials. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
The violence did not stop at Baghdad. Attacks in Baqouba, Kirkuk and in Salahuddin provinces were also reported in the relentless string of assaults that unfolded over a two-hour period.