Friday, February 22, 2008
Police: Bombs in Baghdad and northern city of Tikrit kill 5, wound 10
BAGHDAD (AP) -- A bomb hidden under a horse-drawn cart exploded in downtown Baghdad on Friday, killing three civilians, while two policemen died when a booby-trapped car exploded north of the capital, police said.
The blasts also wounded 10 people.
The cart was left near a building, and the explosives apparently were detonated by remote-control at about 7:30 a.m., police said, adding that six people were wounded. Three cars parked nearby were damaged and AP Television News footage showed the dead horse lying on its side surrounded by rubble.
Shortly after the blast, Iraqi authorities announced a ban on carts on the streets of Baghdad.
"These methods began to be used by terrorists and criminal gangs" said Husham al-Rikabi, a deputy spokesman for the Iraqi military in Baghdad.
The booby-trapped car was being towed by police when it blew up in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, 80 miles north of Baghdad. Police said they were removing the car after it was found parked near a market pockmarked with bullet holes and with bloodstained seats.
The explosion occurred about 8 a.m. as it was being pulled into the parking lot of the local police headquarters, officials said. Four police officers were injured in the blast, which killed two police, they said.
The police officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information.
Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attacks. The U.S. military has warned that suspected Sunni insurgents led by al-Qaida are seeking new ways to avoid stepped-up security measures that have dampened their ability to stage high-profile car bombings and suicide attacks.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
