25 dead as bomb rips through Iraqi market

BAQUBA - A bomb hidden in a truck packed with dates killed at least 25 in a Shi'ite village market north of Baghdad on Saturday, in what appeared to be the latest bid by Sunni extremists to spark a sectarian war in the run-up to the December general elections.

Hospital officials said some 45 people were also wounded in the

attack on the village of Huwaider, near Baquba, 60 kilometres from

the capital.

The attack came minutes before the start of evening prayers as

the faithful headed to a nearby mosque and women and children

shopped at the market before the breaking of the day-long Ramadan

fast.

 

Eyewitness reported seeing the driver of a truck laden with

dates parking near the market shortly before the explosion.

 

This was the latest in a string of apparent sectarian attacks by

Sunni extremists against the country's Shi'ite majority whose

representatives came to power in January's elections after years of

Sunni rule under deposed leader Saddam Hussein.

 

Al Qaeda in Iraq, an insurgent group controlled by Sunni

extremist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has killed hundreds of Shi'ites,

mostly in car bomb attacks, since declaring open war on the

community in September.

 

The group aims to deepen the rift between Shi'ites and Sunnis in

a bid to further destabilise the war-torn country, according to

observers here.

 

In Baghdad, several large political coalitions established

mostly on sectarian or ethnic lines Friday put forward their

candidates for the December 15 general elections, the final phase

in the country's year-long transition to democracy.

 

Five large coalitions, along an undetermined number of small

parties, and independent candidates had until Friday to register

election candidates.

 

The electoral commission yesterday said 228 lists had been

registered, including 21 coalitions, but it did not immediately

specify the number of candidates.

 

- Nampa-AFP

 

The attack came minutes before the start of evening prayers as the

faithful headed to a nearby mosque and women and children shopped

at the market before the breaking of the day-long Ramadan

fast.Eyewitness reported seeing the driver of a truck laden with

dates parking near the market shortly before the explosion.This was

the latest in a string of apparent sectarian attacks by Sunni

extremists against the country's Shi'ite majority whose

representatives came to power in January's elections after years of

Sunni rule under deposed leader Saddam Hussein.Al Qaeda in Iraq, an

insurgent group controlled by Sunni extremist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,

has killed hundreds of Shi'ites, mostly in car bomb attacks, since

declaring open war on the community in September.The group aims to

deepen the rift between Shi'ites and Sunnis in a bid to further

destabilise the war-torn country, according to observers here.In

Baghdad, several large political coalitions established mostly on

sectarian or ethnic lines Friday put forward their candidates for

the December 15 general elections, the final phase in the country's

year-long transition to democracy.Five large coalitions, along an

undetermined number of small parties, and independent candidates

had until Friday to register election candidates.The electoral

commission yesterday said 228 lists had been registered, including

21 coalitions, but it did not immediately specify the number of

candidates.- Nampa-AFP

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