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-AFPThe 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