A car bomb killed at least ten people in a crowded commercial area of western Baghdad on Wednesday, police said. The explosion occurred in Baiyaa just after the morning rush hour, police said. At least 20 people were injured, they said.
According to the AP, witnesses said several shops and stalls were damaged, and four cars were incinerated by the blast. Black smoke rose from the area, and blood was splattered on the ground, witnesses said.
Earlier, six mortar shells landed on the Shiite Muslim village of al-Maail south of the Iraqi capital, killing one person and injuring 14, police said. Three roadside bombs went off in Mahmoudiyah, another Shiite area about 18 miles south of Baghdad. One civilian died and three others were injured, police said.
In Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad, police said a high-ranking officer and his driver were killed in a drive-by shooting Wednesday. Col. Abdul-Hadi Mohammed Saleh was on his way to work when gunmen sprayed his car with machine gun fire, Brig. Abdul-Karim al-Jabouri said. Saleh's driver was killed and his bodyguard injured, al-Jabouri added.
