15 Killed In Blasts Near Baghdad

A series of bomb blasts took place in Baghdad, Iraq as the Obama administration claims that it is withdrawing most of its forces out of the Middle Eastern nation. Over a million people have died since the US occupation in 2003., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

15 killed in blasts near Baghdad

Explosions hours apart rock Iraq town, killing day laborers and vendors

By Tina Moore
Saturday, November 26 2011, 6:48 PM Associated Press

A series of bomb blasts killed at least 15 people in and around Baghdad on Saturday as the U.S. prepares to withdraw its troops from Iraq by 2012, officials said.

The first two bombs exploded in the early morning in an area where day laborers wait for work in the village of al-Zaidan west of the capital.

The explosions killed seven people and wounded 11, the officials said.

Hours later, three bombs exploded near the kiosks of vendors who sell CDs and military uniforms in central Baghdad’s Bab al-Sharqi market district.

The bombs there killed eight people and wounded 19.

“I went outside my shop and saw people running in all directions trying to leave the market area. I saw several bodies and wounded people on the ground,” Mohammed Youssef, who owns a clothing shop in the area, told The Associated Press.

It was the second day of deadly explosions in Iraq. Three bombs struck the southern city of Basra on Thursday, killing 19 people.

The continued violence has raised concerns about the planned U.S. exit from Iraq in the coming weeks.

But Iraqi security officials have said they are ready for the withdrawal that is mandated by a 2008 pact.

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