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| Twin bombings kill 50 in Baghdad | Twin bombings kill 50 in Baghdad |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Two bombs in busy Baghdad markets have killed at least 50 people. | Two bombs in busy Baghdad markets have killed at least 50 people. |
| The first blast, believed to have been detonated by a female suicide bomber, struck at around 1020 local time (0720GMT) in a popular animal market. | The first blast, believed to have been detonated by a female suicide bomber, struck at around 1020 local time (0720GMT) in a popular animal market. |
| A second blast 20 minutes later tore through another crowded market in the east of the capital. | A second blast 20 minutes later tore through another crowded market in the east of the capital. |
| Friday's death toll was the city's highest since violence fell in the wake of a US troop surge in the second half of 2007. | |
| Correspondents say a fragile sense of normality in the capital had followed significant improvements in security since the troop surge. | Correspondents say a fragile sense of normality in the capital had followed significant improvements in security since the troop surge. |
| Confidence shattered | Confidence shattered |
| A ceasefire announced in August by the Mehdi Army militia of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr, as well as the emergence of local Sunni militia armed by the US military that took on al-Qaeda in Iraq, have also contributed to the sense of security. | A ceasefire announced in August by the Mehdi Army militia of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr, as well as the emergence of local Sunni militia armed by the US military that took on al-Qaeda in Iraq, have also contributed to the sense of security. |
| PREVIOUS GHAZIL MARKET BOMBS June 2006 - Four killed by two bombs left in bagsDec 2006 - Three killed in mortar attack26 Jan 2007 - 15 killed by bomb hidden in box of birds23 Nov 2007 - 13 killed in attack blamed on Iranian-backed Shia militants class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/7221915.stm">In pictures: Market attack | |
| But the renewed confidence could be shattered by Friday's deadly bombings. | But the renewed confidence could be shattered by Friday's deadly bombings. |
| The twin blasts are the worst to hit the Iraqi capital since 1 August last year, when three car bombs killed more than 80 people. | |
| At least 40 people died and a further 80 were wounded in the Ghazil suicide blast. | |
| A popular spectacle for Baghdadis, the animal market only opens on Fridays and is always crowded, despite having been targeted by bombers twice in 2007. | |
| Stall owners offer a large selection of exotic birds, as well as rabbits and cats smuggled from Brazil and Africa, using cardboard boxes to transport the animals. | |
| Piled into wheelbarrows | |
| On Friday, police and medical officials piled the dead and injured into wheelbarrows, cars and the back of pick-up trucks to be transported to five hospitals across the city. | |
| We have disaster here. There are too many bodies to count Baghdad hospital official | |
| A further 10 were killed and 30 wounded in the second blast, which struck a market in Baghdad's Jadida area. | |
| An official at the capital's Kindi hospital said at least 30 bodies had been received. | |
| "We have a disaster here," he said. "There are too many bodies to count." | "We have a disaster here," he said. "There are too many bodies to count." |
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| Are you in Iraq? Have you been affected by these blasts? Please send your comments by using the form below: | |