Bomb blasts in Baghdad kill three

On Thursday 11th August, two bomb blasts killed three people in western Iraq. Meanwhile a succession of four explosions in Baghdad wounded 10 others. It is estimated that around 39 people were wounded in violence on Thursday.

In Baghdad, two bombs went off near alcohol shops in the commercial district of Karrada wounding four civilians. Another bomb targeted an army patrol in Dura in the south of the capital, injuring three soldiers, while a fourth exploded in the Al-Amil neighbourhood in south Baghdad, wounding three civilians.

In the western predominantly Sunni city of Ramadi, meanwhile, two explosions against the home of a police officer killed three and wounded 24 others.

Anbar province, of which Ramadi is the capital, was a key Sunni insurgent base in the years after the US-led invasion of 2003, but since 2006 local tribes have sided with the American military and day-to-day violence has dropped dramatically.

The city has been the target of several attacks in recent months, however.

In June, at least three explosions near provincial government offices in Ramadi killed 10 and wounded 15. In January, a suicide bomber blew up an explosives-packed car in a convoy carrying Anbar governor Qassim Mohammed Abid, wounding three bodyguards and six policemen but leaving Abid unharmed.

Violence in Iraq has declined from its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks remain common. A total of 259 Iraqis were killed in attacks in July, the second-highest figure for 2011.

Sources: AFP, The Associated Press, China Daily

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