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Many die in Baghdad tanker bomb | Many die in Baghdad tanker bomb |
(about 1 hour later) | |
At least 31 people have been killed in a car bomb attack on a kerosene tanker in the mainly Shia district of Sadr City in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. | At least 31 people have been killed in a car bomb attack on a kerosene tanker in the mainly Shia district of Sadr City in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. |
The BBC's Ian Pannell in Baghdad says most of the victims were women queuing for cooking fuel to use throughout the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. | The BBC's Ian Pannell in Baghdad says most of the victims were women queuing for cooking fuel to use throughout the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. |
US officials have predicted an increase in violence throughout Ramadan. | |
Meanwhile, Iraqi officials say they have captured a leader of violent Sunni militant group, Ansar al-Sunna. | |
The bomb attack is one of the deadliest in Iraq in recent weeks. | The bomb attack is one of the deadliest in Iraq in recent weeks. |
At least another 20 people were injured in the bomb blast, and Iraqi police Colonel Saad Abdul-Sada said that the death toll could rise further. | At least another 20 people were injured in the bomb blast, and Iraqi police Colonel Saad Abdul-Sada said that the death toll could rise further. |
At the scene of the attack people used blankets as makeshift stretchers to rush the injured to ambulances, which then ferried them to the Al Sadr general hospital. | |
One witness spoke of their horror at the attack: "What did those people do? The poor civilians were trying to get kerosene and gasoline. All of them were women and children." | |
The attack took place in Sadr city, a mainly Shia neighbourhood which is home to the notorious armed militia group, the Mehdi army. | |
Leader captured | |
No-one has claimed responsibility, but our correspondent says it is most likely another sectarian attack. The area has witnessed an increasingly violent tit-for-tat conflict between Shia and Sunni Muslims. | |
Sunnis began their month of Ramadan daytime fasting on Saturday, while Shias are set to follow on Sunday. | Sunnis began their month of Ramadan daytime fasting on Saturday, while Shias are set to follow on Sunday. |
In recent years there has been a spike in violence in Iraq throughout the holy month and US officials are predicting that it will be much the same this year. | In recent years there has been a spike in violence in Iraq throughout the holy month and US officials are predicting that it will be much the same this year. |
Ansar al-Sunna claimed an attack on US army mess hall in MosulThe UN recently reported a grim rise in Iraq deaths, with almost 3,600 civilians killed in July and just over 3,000 in August this year. | |
In a separate development the Iraqi prime minister's office says US and Iraqi forces have captured Muntasir al-Jibouri, a senior member of Sunni militant group Ansar al-Sunna. | |
He was captured overnight, along with two colleagues, in the town of Muqdadiya, in Diyala province 80 km (50 miles) north-east of Baghdad. | |
Ansar al-Sunna is one of the most violent groups involved in Iraq's Sunni insurgency, responsible for a number of suicide bombings, kidnappings and beheadings. | Ansar al-Sunna is one of the most violent groups involved in Iraq's Sunni insurgency, responsible for a number of suicide bombings, kidnappings and beheadings. |
Among the attacks the group has claimed responsibility for is a December 2004 attack on a US military mess hall in Mosul in which 22 people died. | |
The group, which is believed to have links to al-Qaeda, has its origins in Ansar al-Islam, a radical group based in mountainous northern Iraq. | The group, which is believed to have links to al-Qaeda, has its origins in Ansar al-Islam, a radical group based in mountainous northern Iraq. |