A bomb targeting poor Iraqi Shi’ites lining up for day jobs in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City killed at least 31 people and injured more than 50 others, police said.
The bomb tore through a collection of food stalls and kiosks at about 6.15am (3.15am GMT), cutting down men who gather there daily hoping to be hired as labourers. Police Major Hashim al-Yasiri put the casualty figure at 31 killed and 51 injured.
There were conflicting reports as to whether the blast was caused by a suicide bomber or a device concealed amid debris by the roadside. The overwhelmingly Shi’ite area is a stronghold of the Mehdi Army militia blamed for much of the sectarian violence rocking the city.
Sadr City, a sprawling neighbourhood of about 2,5-million people, has been the scene of repeated bomb attacks by suspected al-Qaeda fighters who have sought to incite Shi’ite revenge attacks and drag the country into full-blown civil war.
The United States and Iraqi military have kept a tight cordon around Sadr City since a raid there last week in search of an alleged Shi’ite death squad leader, who was not found. – Sapa-AP