Iraq: Bomb blasts leave 16 dead

A series of bomb explosions in and around Baghdad killed 16 people on Sunday 22nd May, including 10 people who died when a suicide bomber blew himself up amid a crowd of police officers.

It is estimated that at least 14 bombs detonated in and around the capital during the morning rush hour. The worst of the attacks was recorded in the city of Taji, 20km north of Baghdad, where a suicide bomber killed 10 people.

A bomb hidden in a pile of rubbish, in Sadr City, killed one person and injured five others. Minutes later another roadside bomb, this time targeting a police patrol, exploded, injuring three policemen and four bystanders.

In the southwestern neighborhood of Bayaa, five explosions went off in rapid succession. First a roadside bomb targeting a police patrol, then a minute later another roadside bomb went off in a commercial street followed by two roadside bombs along the highway.

A parked-car bomb went off on a road that marks the intersection between Bayaa and the adjoining neighborhood. In total, five people were killed, including two policemen, and 15 people were injured, including six policemen.

Bloodshed in Iraq has subsided since the height of the insurgency five years ago, but almost daily attacks on both civilians and law officers continue.

Sources: BBC News, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times

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