Al-Sisi reviews Egypt's food security, strategic commodity reserves    Egypt signs strategic agreements to attract global investment in gold, mineral exploration    Syria says it will defend its territory after Israeli strikes in Suwayda    Egyptian Exchange ends mixed on July 15    Suez Canal vehicle carrier traffic set to rebound by 20% in H2: SCA chief    Tut Group launches its operations in Egyptian market for exporting Egyptian products    China's urban jobless rate eases in June '25    Egypt's Health Minister reviews drug authority cooperation with WHO    Egypt urges EU support for Gaza ceasefire, reconstruction at Brussels talks    Pakistan names Qatari royal as brand ambassador after 'Killer Mountain' climb    Health Ministry denies claims of meningitis-related deaths among siblings    Egypt, Mexico explore joint action on environment, sustainability    Egypt, Mexico discuss environmental cooperation, combating desertification    Needle-spiking attacks in France prompt government warning, public fear    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Korea Culture Week in Egypt to blend K-Pop with traditional arts    Egypt, France FMs review Gaza ceasefire efforts, reconstruction    CIB finances Giza Pyramids Sound and Light Show redevelopment with EGP 963m loan    Greco-Roman tombs with hieroglyphic inscriptions discovered in Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Egypt condemns deadly terrorist attack in Niger        Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt's GAH, Spain's Konecta discuss digital health partnership    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Death toll rises to 43 in Iraq blast-official
Published in The Egyptian Gazette on 08 - 08 - 2010

BAGHDAD - Explosions killed at least 43 people and wounded as many as 100 later Saturday night at a downtown market in Iraq's second-largest city, a senior official said, coming at the end of a violent day that also saw the slaying of seven policemen around the country.
It was the latest spate of attacks to come as all but 50,000 US military troops head home by the end of the month.
Deputy provincial council chairman Sheik Ahmed al-Sulayti said he was alerted by police late Saturday about the rising death toll in Basra, located 340 miles (550 kilometres) southeast of Baghdad.
Al-Sulayti said at least 43 were killed by the blasts that came within minutes of each other at central Basra's al-Ashaar market. He said an estimated 100 were injured.
But as is common in the immediate chaos after Iraq explosions, the death toll varied among officials. A senior commander in Basra's security operations center said 43 people were killed and more than 200 wounded. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Another report had as many as 60 people dead.
Officials also differed over the cause of the blasts.
Two police officials said a roadside bomb and a car packed with explosives caused the explosions. Both spoke on condition of anonymity. But Basra Police Chief Adil Daham said the explosions were caused by a malfunctioning power generator.
Television footage showed bloodied bodies being loaded into ambulances amid hysterical bystanders, some of whom blamed Iraq's stalled government for the bloodshed.
"Why do they not agree, while the victims are falling down?" shouted one unidentified man. "The politicians are after posts and chairs. Reach an agreement, you traitors."
Five months after parliamentary elections that failed to produce a clear winner, Iraq's leaders have yet to form a new government - sparking angst and anger across the country. In Basra, where power outages have stymied air conditioning units in the searing summer temperatures, citizens have held demonstrations to blame politicians for the lack of public services.
In the most dramatic of the attacks Saturday on Iraqi security troops, gunmen killed five policemen in an overnight shootout that lasted until dawn at a suspected bomb workshop in western Baghdad, security officials said.
Tipped off by a carjacking, police trailed the suspects to a house in the mostly Sunni neighborhood of Saidiya, where they came under fire from an unknown number of gunmen.
The shooting lasted until daybreak, when the gunmen slipped away through a rear entrance, according to two Baghdad police officers and an Interior Ministry official. Two of the attackers were nabbed later Saturday while hiding in an orchard in a suburb north of Baghdad, the officials said.
When police searched the house at the scene of the shootout, they found one gunman dead with a pistol at his side.
Seven policemen and six residents, including two women and a 14-year boy, were also wounded in the shootout, the officials said. An emergency room worker at Yarmouk Hospital confirmed the casualties.
Also inside the house, police said they found a cache of bombs, chemicals and other devices to make explosives.
A minibus packed with explosives was also found in the garage, officials said, adding that there was a trail of fresh blood in the house from at least one of the gunmen.
Violence has dipped dramatically in Iraq, but shootouts and bombings are still common.
According to police and health officials across Iraq, other attacks later Saturday included:
-A policeman was shot dead at a checkpoint and two others were wounded outside the city of Fallujah, 40 miles (65 kilometres) west of Baghdad.
-Bombs were planted outside the homes of three policemen and a member of the government-allied Awakening Council in Karma, near Fallujah. Some 15 people were wounded, but there were no fatalities.
-A suicide bomber killed one policeman and wounded three others during a security foot patrol in the northern city of Mosul. Two bystanders also were injured.
-A bomb attached to a car in eastern Diyala province killed two people and wounded four, said police spokesman Maj. Ghalib al-Karkhi.


Clic here to read the story from its source.