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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Deadly blast hits Baghdad market | Deadly blast hits Baghdad market |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| An bomb explosion has killed at least 13 people at a crowded market in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. | An bomb explosion has killed at least 13 people at a crowded market in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. |
| About 50 were hurt in the blast, which targeted the popular Ghazil pet market, held every Friday. The bomb was hidden in a box containing birds, police say. | About 50 were hurt in the blast, which targeted the popular Ghazil pet market, held every Friday. The bomb was hidden in a box containing birds, police say. |
| Levels of violence have been falling following the deployment of about 30,000 extra US troops in the Baghdad area since the start of the year. | Levels of violence have been falling following the deployment of about 30,000 extra US troops in the Baghdad area since the start of the year. |
| The US troop surge has targeted Shia militias and al-Qaeda fighters. | The US troop surge has targeted Shia militias and al-Qaeda fighters. |
| The Ghazil market - located in a mixed area - was the target of a bomb attack that killed at least 15 people in January. | |
| The BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says bombings used to be a daily occurrence until recently, but are now the exception rather than the rule. | The BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says bombings used to be a daily occurrence until recently, but are now the exception rather than the rule. |
| But he adds that attacks are still happening - including a salvo of mortars fired into the heavily guarded Green zone on Thursday. | But he adds that attacks are still happening - including a salvo of mortars fired into the heavily guarded Green zone on Thursday. |
| They are a reminder that unless the security drive is sustained and underpinned by political and economic progress, there could be a return to wholesale violence, our correspondent says. | They are a reminder that unless the security drive is sustained and underpinned by political and economic progress, there could be a return to wholesale violence, our correspondent says. |