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| Scores die in Iraq bomb attacks | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Seventy-five people have been killed and 160 injured in a double car bombing in Baghdad, Iraqi police say. | Seventy-five people have been killed and 160 injured in a double car bombing in Baghdad, Iraqi police say. |
| A further dozen people have died in a bomb and mortar attack north of the capital, police say. | |
| The first attack was the worst in Iraq this year, and targeted a second-hand clothes market popular with the city's poorer residents. | |
| The attacks came as US troops arrived on a mission to boost security in a country wracked by sectarian violence. | The attacks came as US troops arrived on a mission to boost security in a country wracked by sectarian violence. |
| The 3,200 troops sent to Baghdad are the advance guard of a 21,500-strong deployment ordered by US President George W Bush this month. | The 3,200 troops sent to Baghdad are the advance guard of a 21,500-strong deployment ordered by US President George W Bush this month. |
| Choked with traffic | Choked with traffic |
| The first big attack on Monday came in the Haraj market, which sells second-hand clothing and DVDs, shortly after midday (0900 GMT). Columns of thick smoke immediately covered the area. | |
| One unconfirmed account of the attacks said that a bomb in a parked car was followed seconds later by a suicide bomber ploughing his car into the terrified crowd. | One unconfirmed account of the attacks said that a bomb in a parked car was followed seconds later by a suicide bomber ploughing his car into the terrified crowd. |
| In pictures: Baghdad bombing | In pictures: Baghdad bombing |
| At least 12 vehicles were set ablaze, said a photographer for the AFP news agency at the scene. | At least 12 vehicles were set ablaze, said a photographer for the AFP news agency at the scene. |
| He said there were so many victims that the wounded were piled up alongside the dead on wooden market carts. | He said there were so many victims that the wounded were piled up alongside the dead on wooden market carts. |
| Bodies could be seen covered in blue sheeting outside a Baghdad mortuary, while doctors at al-Kindi Hospital worked frantically to save the lives of the badly injured. | Bodies could be seen covered in blue sheeting outside a Baghdad mortuary, while doctors at al-Kindi Hospital worked frantically to save the lives of the badly injured. |
| Relatives of the dead cried out, or knelt and wept. | Relatives of the dead cried out, or knelt and wept. |
| The BBC's Mike Wooldridge in Baghdad says the market was popular with the many Baghdad residents on low incomes and that the area was also a busy transport interchange. | The BBC's Mike Wooldridge in Baghdad says the market was popular with the many Baghdad residents on low incomes and that the area was also a busy transport interchange. |
| It was choked with traffic at the time, he adds, and there are fears the death toll could yet climb further. | It was choked with traffic at the time, he adds, and there are fears the death toll could yet climb further. |
| Later in the day reports emerged of another dual attack, this time on a market near the town of Baquba, north-east of Baghdad. | |
| Police said a roadside bomb went off and this was followed by a mortar attack, leaving at least 12 civilians dead and 26 injured. | |
| New tactics | |
| The attacks are seen as highlighting the challenges faced by US forces as they prepare to try to rein in the Sunni and Shia fighters who have been carrying out deadly tit-for-tat attacks. | The attacks are seen as highlighting the challenges faced by US forces as they prepare to try to rein in the Sunni and Shia fighters who have been carrying out deadly tit-for-tat attacks. |
| Previous attempts to stop the killings in the capital have failed, in part, analysts say, because coalition and Iraqi troops have not stayed in an area once insurgents have been cleared. | Previous attempts to stop the killings in the capital have failed, in part, analysts say, because coalition and Iraqi troops have not stayed in an area once insurgents have been cleared. |
| Under the new plans, once an area is taken, the extra US troops will stay behind, backing up Iraqi forces to hold the area. | Under the new plans, once an area is taken, the extra US troops will stay behind, backing up Iraqi forces to hold the area. |
| Doubts, however, remain as to whether there will be enough extra troops to stabilise a city of more than six million people, while among Baghdad residents there are fears the presence of the troops will simply inspire more violence. | Doubts, however, remain as to whether there will be enough extra troops to stabilise a city of more than six million people, while among Baghdad residents there are fears the presence of the troops will simply inspire more violence. |
| US troops have suffered significant losses in recent days. On Saturday, 25 soldiers were killed - one of the worst days for the US army since the invasion. | US troops have suffered significant losses in recent days. On Saturday, 25 soldiers were killed - one of the worst days for the US army since the invasion. |