This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/6633911.stm

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Car bomb explodes in Iraqi city Car bomb explodes in Iraqi city
(about 1 hour later)
At least 16 people have been killed and dozens wounded in a suicide car bomb attack in the southern Iraqi town of Kufa, officials said.At least 16 people have been killed and dozens wounded in a suicide car bomb attack in the southern Iraqi town of Kufa, officials said.
The explosion destroyed a restaurant and severely damaged shops in an open-air market, about 400m from the town's main mosque.The explosion destroyed a restaurant and severely damaged shops in an open-air market, about 400m from the town's main mosque.
Kufa, a centre of Shia Muslim pilgrimage, is a large town 170km (80 miles) south of the capital, Baghdad.Kufa, a centre of Shia Muslim pilgrimage, is a large town 170km (80 miles) south of the capital, Baghdad.
A car bombing in the town in December killed 31 people and injured 45. Last month, more than 70 people died in a car bombing in nearby Karbala.
Tuesday's attack was the latest in a series of attacks on predominantly Shia areas south of Baghdad apparently aimed at increasing sectarian tensions.
The BBC's James Shaw in Baghdad says Kufa has not previously suffered as much violence as neighbouring Shia cities because it is a key powerbase of the radical Shia cleric, Moqatada Sadr and is therefore well defended by Mr Sadr's powerful militia, the Mahdi Army.
'Pools of blood'
The suicide bomber drove his vehicle into the crowded market, pulling up outside a two-storey restaurant popular with Shia pilgrims, witnesses said. "He tried to park the vehicle and then it exploded," Mohan Ali told Reuters.
"There were many bodies."
The blast destroyed the restaurant, blowing out the windows, knocking over tables and scattering body parts.
"At least five or six people were killed inside the restaurant," the owner, Ali al-Hamadani, said. "There are pools of blood on the floor."
A crowd gathered at the scene of the attack afterwards and began chanting "No, No, America!"
A car bombing in Kufa in December killed 31 people and injured 45.