Bombs ravage Baghdad markets, killing 88

[ProSense]

Bombs ravage Baghdad markets, killing 88

By Ibon Villelabeitia
8 minutes ago

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Bombs laid waste to crowded markets in central Baghdad on Monday killing 88 people as Iraqis marked the first anniversary of a Shi'ite shrine bombing that pushed the country to the brink of civil war.

The blasts took place about the time Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, in remarks commemorating the bombing of the Samarra mosque, warned that Iraq had no future unless a U.S.- backed offensive against militants in Baghdad succeeded.

In the deadliest attack, simultaneous blasts pulverized Shorja market, Baghdad's oldest, killing 79 people, destroying vendor stalls and setting ablaze an eight-story warehouse. Police said 165 people were wounded.

The Shorja market, the main supplier for countless small shops in Baghdad and central Iraq, has been bombed frequently.

A separate roadside bomb at the Bab al-Sharji market, also in central Baghdad, killed nine people and wounded 21.

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[Little Wing]

1. Great Job, Operation Sweeping and Sewing Together

or whatever this one's called