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/6247920.stm
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 2 | Version 3 |
---|---|
Baghdad rush hour bomb 'kills 20' | Baghdad rush hour bomb 'kills 20' |
(21 minutes later) | |
A car bomb has killed at least 20 people and wounded dozens more in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, police said. | A car bomb has killed at least 20 people and wounded dozens more in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, police said. |
The bomb was left in a parked car at a bus terminal in the mainly Shia district of Bayaa in south-west Baghdad, officials said. | The bomb was left in a parked car at a bus terminal in the mainly Shia district of Bayaa in south-west Baghdad, officials said. |
The explosion tore through crowds of commuters waiting for buses during the morning rush hour, police said. | The explosion tore through crowds of commuters waiting for buses during the morning rush hour, police said. |
The blast comes as US and Iraqi forces continue a big security drive in and around Baghdad. | The blast comes as US and Iraqi forces continue a big security drive in and around Baghdad. |
Police said about 40 vehicles, including buses, had been set alight in the explosion. | Police said about 40 vehicles, including buses, had been set alight in the explosion. |
Police and medical officials said between 20 and 25 people had been killed and 35-40 injured. | |
'Arrowhead Ripper' | |
The Baghdad blast came as three British soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb hit their patrol in Basra, in southern Iraq. A fourth soldier was wounded. | The Baghdad blast came as three British soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb hit their patrol in Basra, in southern Iraq. A fourth soldier was wounded. |
The US has poured thousands of extra troops into Baghdad and the surrounding area in an effort to curb bombings and sectarian killings. | |
About 10,000 US and Iraqi troops launched operation "Arrowhead Ripper" last week, trying to flush what the US called al-Qaeda militants out of Diyala province north-east of Baghdad. | |
There has been heavy fighting in the city of Baquba, where Brig Gen Mick Bednarek of the US 25th infantry division said at least 60 suspected al-Qaeda militants had been killed. | |
But US commanders have warned that Iraqi forces can not yet be relied on to hold territory captured from insurgents. | |
Earlier this week, the White House predicted a "difficult" summer ahead in Iraq as militants "do their very best to try to create very spectacular acts of terror". | Earlier this week, the White House predicted a "difficult" summer ahead in Iraq as militants "do their very best to try to create very spectacular acts of terror". |
'Wrongful attack' | 'Wrongful attack' |
Separately, the US military said it was investigating an incident in a village north of Baghdad last week where an American helicopter attack killed 11 men and wounded eight others after wrongly identifying them as al-Qaeda militants. | Separately, the US military said it was investigating an incident in a village north of Baghdad last week where an American helicopter attack killed 11 men and wounded eight others after wrongly identifying them as al-Qaeda militants. |
Survivors and residents of the village, Khalis, have told the BBC that all those killed and injured were guards, recognised by local authorities. | Survivors and residents of the village, Khalis, have told the BBC that all those killed and injured were guards, recognised by local authorities. |
The US military told the BBC that it considers the armed men to have been a militia conducting an offensive operation near Iraqi police. But they no longer described them as al-Qaeda. | The US military told the BBC that it considers the armed men to have been a militia conducting an offensive operation near Iraqi police. But they no longer described them as al-Qaeda. |
The survivors of the attack said they were helping the police check a house believed to be used by insurgents. | The survivors of the attack said they were helping the police check a house believed to be used by insurgents. |
Neither US nor Iraqi forces had been told of a local watch programme in the area, the BBC's Andrew North in Baghdad says. | Neither US nor Iraqi forces had been told of a local watch programme in the area, the BBC's Andrew North in Baghdad says. |