Suicide Truck Bomber Kills 102 in Iraq
By Associated Press
22 minutes ago
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide truck bomber struck a food market in a predominantly Shiite area of Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least 102 people and wounding more than 200, officials said, the biggest strike in the capital in more than two months.
The attacker was driving a truck carrying food when he detonated his explosives, destroying stores and stalls that had been set up in the busy outdoor Sadriyah market, police said. The blast occurred at 4:40 p.m. as the market was crowded with people buying food for their evening meal.
Officials said at least 102 people were killed and more than 200 wounded as nearby hospitals were flooded with victims from the blast. Many were driven to the hospitals in pickup trucks and lifted onto stretchers while several men helped overwhelmed medics by holding plastic drips.
"It was a strong blow. A car exploded. I fell on the ground. It was in Sadriyah," said one young man with a bandaged head, his face still streaked with blood.
It was the deadliest attack in the capital since Nov. 23, when suspected al-Qaida in Iraq fighters attacked the capital's Sadr City Shiite slum with a series of car bombs and mortars that struck in quick succession, killing at least 215 people.
A suicide bomber also crashed his car into the Bab al-Sharqi market, which is near Sadriyah, on Jan. 22, killing 88 people. The surge in violence comes as Sunni insurgents have stepped up attacks against Shiite targets in an apparent bid to maximize the number of people killed ahead of a planned U.S.-Iraqi security sweep.
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