久久亚洲国产成人影院-久久亚洲国产的中文-久久亚洲国产高清-久久亚洲国产精品-亚洲图片偷拍自拍-亚洲图色视频

  Home>News Center>World
         
 

Kerbala car bomb kills 12, many wounded
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-12-19 21:24

A car bomb exploded in the holy Shi'ite city of Kerbala Sunday, killing at least 12 people and wounding more than 30, and insurgents also struck in Baghdad, shooting dead three Election Commission employees.

Shortly afterwards, a separate explosion struck a market in Najaf -- another Shi'ite religious city south of Kerbala. The blast took place near the city's Imam Ali mosque, but there were no immediate reports of any dead or wounded.

A cameraman for Reuters who filmed the immediate aftermath of the Kerbala attack said the ground around the city's open air bus station was littered with dead and wounded.

The main hospital said 12 people were killed and at least 34 wounded, but an official emphasized that it was a provisional toll and the numbers could rise. He said all appeared to be civilians and there were many women and children among them.

It was the second attack in five days in Kerbala, home to two important Shi'ite shrines, putting the city at the center of concerns that Sunni militants will exploit sectarian divisions to cause mayhem in the run up to Iraq's Jan. 30 election.

Wednesday, a bomb apparently targeting Shi'ite cleric Abdul Mehdi al-Kerbalai, exploded as he was returning to his office after evening prayers at the Imam Hussein shrine. Sunday's bomb was just a few hundred meters (yards) away.

Ten people, including four of Kerbalai's bodyguards, were killed and more than 30 wounded in Wednesday's attack, including the cleric, who is regarded as close to Iraq's supreme Shi'ite authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

It was the first major assault in the city since March, when coordinated suicide bombings during an annual religious festival killed more than 90 people, an act blamed on Sunni militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian who allies himself with al Qaeda.

ELECTION TARGET

In Baghdad, insurgents dragged three employees of Iraq's Electoral Commission from a car and shot them dead, the latest in a series of attacks designed to disrupt plans for the poll.

A spokesman for the Electoral Commission said three junior employees had been killed in the assault but said it was unclear if they were targeted because they worked with the commission, which is charged with conducting next month's vote.

"We don't know if they were targeted specifically," spokesman and Commission board member Farid Ayar said.

Witnesses said insurgents opened fire on the vehicle before dragging three people from it and shooting them. The car was set on fire and the bodies left lying near the burning wreckage.

Guerrillas armed with AK-47 assault rifles and pistols then set up a roadblock on the street, stopping and searching every car that passed, pointing their guns in through the windows.

Fierce gunbattles ensued, witnesses said, as police tried for several hours to get to the scene of the attack. U.S. military helicopters flew low overhead scanning the area, which echoed with gunfire and small explosions, residents said.

Haifa Street, on the west bank of the Tigris river, is home to about a dozen apartment complexes built by Saddam Hussein for those he favored. Former regime loyalists are believed to have built a stronghold in the area over the past 18 months.

THREAT TO HOSTAGES

U.S. and Iraqi officials have warned that attacks will be stepped up in the run up to the election, Iraq's first fully democratic poll in nearly half a century. The increasing concern is that attempts will be made to create sectarian strife.

The bombs in Kerbala and Najaf are seen as part of that strategy, but Shi'ite politicians said they would not be provoked.

Electoral officials say 14 of Iraq's 18 governorates are safe enough to hold free and fair polls, but persistent violence in the remaining areas -- mostly populated by Sunni Arabs -- has led Sunni organizations to call for an election delay.

They fear that Sunnis, favored during Saddam's rule, will not be fully represented in the poll, which is widely expected to see parties from Iraq's 60 percent Shi'ite majority, oppressed for decades by the former regime, brought to power.

Militants kidnapped and are threatening to kill 10 Iraqis employed by a U.S. security company unless the firm pulls out of Iraq, a caller from the militants told Reuters. A tape broadcast by Arab satellite channels Sunday showed the hostages.

It was not clear when the men were kidnapped. No deadline appears to have been set for the threats to be carried out.



 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

China prepares to enact law against secession

 

   
 

Rules issued to govern religious affairs

 

   
 

Russia strongly supports 'One China' policy

 

   
 

Top judge vows to improve judicial capacity

 

   
 

EU hints to lift China arms ban in June

 

   
 

China's housing price hike reasonable?

 

   
  Kerbala car bomb kills 12, many wounded
   
  Iraqi forces release two Egyptian employees
   
  Japan says time running out on N. Korea sanctions
   
  Saddam bids to challenge case in the US
   
  Iraqi forces detain 45 crossing from Iran
   
  Saddam trial process opens with 'Chemical Ali'
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  Related Stories  
   
Car bomb kills seven, wounds 20 in Iraq
   
33 dead as fourth car bomb rocks Samarra
   
Sarmarra car bombs, attacks kill 27 in Iraq
   
Suicide car bomb kills 16 Iraq policemen
   
Car bombs kill 24 in Iraq, over 100 injured
   
Suicide bomber targets Baghdad police
   
Car bomb blast in central Baghdad - Police
  News Talk  
  Are the Republicans exploiting the memory of 9/11?  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 国内精品久久久久久中文字幕 | 日韩精品久久久毛片一区二区 | 青青草国产免费国产是公开 | 亚洲国产天堂久久九九九 | 国产成人tv在线观看 | 日韩成人小视频 | 9久9久热精品视频在线观看 | 亚洲精彩视频在线观看 | 国产一区二区三区在线看 | 欧美激情精品久久久久久久久久 | 亚洲国产成人久久综合一区77 | 欧美人成在线观看网站高清 | 国产精品区一区二区免费 | 男人透女人超爽视频免费 | 国产黄色激情视频 | 91福利精品老师国产自产在线 | 久久精品99视频 | 国产精品资源手机在线播放 | 洋老外米糕国产一区二区 | 深夜福利视频大全在线观看 | 丁香伊人五月综合激激激 | 欧美一级看片免费观看视频在线 | 综合久久久久久中文字幕 | 久久精品一区二区三区不卡牛牛 | 波多野结衣免费视频观看 | 99香蕉网 | 国产精品久久久天天影视香蕉 | 国产在线精品一区二区中文 | 九九久久免费视频 | 国产小视频在线高清播放 | 亚洲欧美日韩国产 | 亚洲一成人毛片 | 一级做a爰片欧美一区 | 一级女性全黄生活片免费 | 久久91精品国产91久久 | 亚洲黄色免费在线观看 | 欧美日韩精品高清一区二区 | 久久这里只有精品免费视频 | 91热国内精品永久免费观看 | 欧美精品做人一级爱免费 | 亚洲欧美精品一区二区 |