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Attacks kill at least 66 in Iraq, many more hurt

A coordinated wave of bombings tore through Shia areas in and around the Iraqi capital early on Wednesday, part of a wave of bloodshed that killed at least 66 people and wounded many more, officials said. The blasts, which came in quick succession, mainly targeted residents out shopping and on their way to work.

In addition to the bombings, the death toll included seven family members killed when gunmen raided their home and shot them as they slept.

Insurgents deployed explosives-laden cars, suicide bombers and other bombs and targeted parking lots, outdoor markets and restaurants in predominantly Shia neighbourhoods of Baghdad, according to officials. A military convoy was also hit south of the capital.

Security forces sealed off the bomb scenes as ambulances raced to pick up the wounded. The twisted wreckage of cars littered the pavement while cleaners and shop owners brushed away the debris. At one restaurant, the floor was stained with blood, and dishes were scattered on plastic tables.

The northern neighbourhood of Kazimiyah, home to a prominent, gold-domed Shia shrine, was the worst hit. Two bombs went off in a parking lot, followed by a suicide car bomber who struck onlookers who had gathered at the scene. Police said 10 people were killed and 27 wounded in that attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the day's attacks, but they bore the hallmarks of the Iraqi branch of Al Qaeda.

The Shia family shot dead at home were found in the largely Sunni town of Latifiyah, about 30km south of Baghdad. Three children, aged eight to 12, were killed along with their parents and two uncles in that attack, according to police. Authorities said they had previously fled the town after being threatened, and returned only three weeks ago.

Many of the day's blasts targeted morning shoppers. Among them was a parked car bomb that detonated in a commercial area in the northern Shaab neighbourhood of Baghdad, killing nine and wounding 25.

More parked car bombs went off in outdoor markets in the sprawling slum of Sadr City, where five were killed and 20 were wounded. Similar attacks hit the northeastern neighbourhood of Shula, killing three and wounding nine; the southeastern Jisr Diyala in an outdoor market, killing eight and wounding 22; and the eastern New Baghdad area, killing three and wounding 12.

Blasts also hit the neighbourhoods of Bayaa, Jamila, Hurriyah and Saydiyah, claiming a total of 12 lives.

In Mahmoudiyah, about 30km south of Baghdad, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a restaurant, killing five and wounding 25.

And in Madain, about 25km southeast of Baghdad, a roadside bomb struck a passing military patrol, killing four soldiers and wounding six others.

Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures, which included more than 180 wounded.