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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A triple bombing in Baghdad has killed more than two dozen people and wounded scores more in the deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital in almost four months.

The Interior Ministry reported at least 30 dead and 70 wounded in the strikes, and the Health Ministry reported at least 28 dead and more than 60 wounded. Iraqis say it was the deadliest attack in the capital city in almost four months.

The U.S. military is reporting lower casualty figures -- eight dead and 48 wounded.

A statement from the office of the top U.N. representative in Iraq called the bombings "detestable" and said they were "repugnant crimes aimed at re-instilling fear, distrust and division among the public just as Iraq prepares itself to assume political normalcy with the upcoming provincial elections."

The casualties in Baghdad occurred when two bombs in parked cars exploded early in the day at Kasrah market in the Adhamiya neighborhood, a ministry official said.

When a crowd gathered around the wrecked cars, a bomber wearing an explosive vest detonated in their midst, the official said.

Abbas Fadhil said he was working in a nearby restaurant that was damaged in the blasts.

"I rushed to the site and saw several girl students trapped in a bus and screaming for help. We took the girls outside the bus and rushed them to the hospitals," he told The Associated Press.

Associated Press Television News video showed the minibus damaged by shrapnel with the floor soaked in blood. Girls' shoes lay scattered amid the wreckage.

Ahmed Riyadh, 54, owner of a nearby grocery, described it as a "vicious attack" that "did not differentiate between Shiites and Sunnis."

Adhamiya is a Sunni neighborhood, but the Kasrah district is predominantly populated by Shiites. As such, the area is controlled by Iraqi security forces and not an Awakening Council.

Awakening councils are mainly made up of former Sunni insurgents who turned against al Qaeda and are credited for being one of the main factors that helped reduce violence in the country.

Among the victims of the Monday morning attack were two police officers, four Iraqi soldiers, five women and a number of students, the ministry official said.

Several soldiers and police personnel were also wounded in the blasts.

On July 28, three female suicide bombers attacked Shiite pilgrims killing at least 32 people and wounding 102 others in the Kadhimiya district in northwestern Baghdad.

Attackers also struck in northern Iraq on Monday. A female suicide bomber killed four people and wounded at least 18 others in Baquba, about 60 kilometers (35 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq's Interior Ministry said.

The incident in Baquba took place at noon when a suicide bomber detonated explosives at a checkpoint manned by local Awakening Council members.

Two council members were among the fatalities. Six other members were wounded.

At least 35 female suicide bombers detonated themselves in 2008. Half of them did so in the Diyala province, where Baquba is located.

cezunusi

Monday, November 10, 2008

Iraq triple bombings kill dozens

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