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Iraqi PM vows to end bomb terror | Iraqi PM vows to end bomb terror |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Iraq's PM has vowed to put an end to attacks like Saturday's deadly truck bombing in Baghdad, which he blamed on followers of ex-leader Saddam Hussein. | Iraq's PM has vowed to put an end to attacks like Saturday's deadly truck bombing in Baghdad, which he blamed on followers of ex-leader Saddam Hussein. |
The vehicle blew up in the mainly Shia al-Sadriya district in central Baghdad, killing more than 130 people and injuring at least 300. | |
Washington said the attack was another atrocity aimed at innocent Iraqis. | Washington said the attack was another atrocity aimed at innocent Iraqis. |
Free nations should not stand by while mass murder was committed, the White House statement said. | Free nations should not stand by while mass murder was committed, the White House statement said. |
In fresh violence, four policemen were killed in a roadside bomb attack in the capital on Sunday, police said. | |
At least three others were wounded in the blast in the al-Qasra area of the capital. | |
'Syrian link' | |
Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said Iraqi people and the rest of the world were shocked by Saturday's bombing. | |
"The Saddamists have returned to commit a new crime," Mr Maliki said, blaming supporters of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. | |
Everybody knows the necessity for us to stand together and reject the sectarian tension Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani In pictures: Iraq violence | Everybody knows the necessity for us to stand together and reject the sectarian tension Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani In pictures: Iraq violence |
"We reassure the population that we will put an end to these crimes," he added. | "We reassure the population that we will put an end to these crimes," he added. |
An Iraqi government spokesman, meanwhile, said that half of the attacks in Baghdad were carried out by extremists who came from Syria. | An Iraqi government spokesman, meanwhile, said that half of the attacks in Baghdad were carried out by extremists who came from Syria. |
Speaking on al-Arabiyah television, Ali al-Dabbagh said "50% of terrorism enters Iraq from Syria, and we have evidence" to prove that, the Associated Press news agency reported. | |
"The Interior Ministry and the Ministry of State for National Security gave them [the Syrians] evidence about those who are conspiring and are sending car bombs. We gave them the numbers of their apartments and the buildings where they live," he said. | |
'Tonne of explosives' | 'Tonne of explosives' |
Saturday's blast took place as people bought food ahead of a night-time curfew. | Saturday's blast took place as people bought food ahead of a night-time curfew. |
It shattered stalls and left a huge crater in the street. | It shattered stalls and left a huge crater in the street. |
Maj Gen Jihad al-Jaberi of the interior ministry told state television the truck was carrying one tonne of explosives that were detonated by a suicide bomber. | Maj Gen Jihad al-Jaberi of the interior ministry told state television the truck was carrying one tonne of explosives that were detonated by a suicide bomber. |
Nearby hospitals were overflowing with dead and injured | Nearby hospitals were overflowing with dead and injured |
Rescuers pulled the dead and injured from the rubble of the blast and loaded them on to pick-up trucks to be ferried to hospital. | Rescuers pulled the dead and injured from the rubble of the blast and loaded them on to pick-up trucks to be ferried to hospital. |
Wards and corridors overflowed at the nearby Ibn al-Nafis hospital, with relatives screaming for help for their loved ones. | Wards and corridors overflowed at the nearby Ibn al-Nafis hospital, with relatives screaming for help for their loved ones. |
The same market was hit by car bombs on 2 December that killed more than 50 people. | The same market was hit by car bombs on 2 December that killed more than 50 people. |
Another attack, on the Haraj market in Baghdad on 22 January, killed 88 people. | Another attack, on the Haraj market in Baghdad on 22 January, killed 88 people. |
BBC world affairs correspondent Mike Wooldridge says the attacks on markets are widely seen as Sunni insurgent groups stepping up their activities before a new joint Iraqi-US security operation in Baghdad gets under way. | BBC world affairs correspondent Mike Wooldridge says the attacks on markets are widely seen as Sunni insurgent groups stepping up their activities before a new joint Iraqi-US security operation in Baghdad gets under way. |
He says the fear is always that bombings like this will bring retaliation from Shia militias. | |
Iraq's most prominent Shia cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, made a new appeal to all Iraqis to "reject sectarian violence". | Iraq's most prominent Shia cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, made a new appeal to all Iraqis to "reject sectarian violence". |
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