BAGHDAD - A SUICIDE bomber struck on Monday in a crowd that had gathered where an explosion went off moments earlier, with both blasts killing at least 22 people and wounding 42 others, police said.
The twin blasts occurred moments apart during the morning rush hour in the mostly Shi'ite Kasrah section of the Azamiyah district in the northern part of the Iraqi capital.
Police said the first explosion occurred in a car. The second happened when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt in the middle of a crowd that had gathered around the vehicle.
Police officials giving the toll were unclear how many died in each blast and gave only an overall total.
Some put the death toll at 25, with 45 people wounded. The police officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not supposed to release the information.
Mr Abbas Fadhil, 45, said he was working in a nearby restaurant near where the blasts went off.
'I rushed to the site and saw several girl students trapped in a bus and screaming for help. We took the girls outside the bus and rushed them to the hospitals,' he said, standing in front of the damaged restaurant - his white shirt soaked with blood.
'This is a criminal act that targeted innocent people who were heading to work and school while the politicians are busy with their personal greed and ambitions,' Mr Fadhil said.
Mr Ahmed Riyadh, 54, owner of a nearby grocery, said the bombing was a 'vicious attack' that 'did not differentiate between Shi'ites and Sunnis'. 'We are fed up with such attacks and we want only to live in peace,' he said.
'The politicians should work hard and set aside their differences to stop the bloodshed.'
No group claimed responsibility for the blasts, the single deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital in weeks.
But suicide attacks against Shi'ite civilians are the hallmark of al-Qaeda in Iraq, which maintains a limited presence in Baghdad despite military setbacks and the Sunni revolt against the terror movement last year.
Violence is down significantly in Baghdad since the worst of the Sunni-Shiite fighting in 2006 and 2007.
In recent weeks, however, there appears to have been an uptick in small-scale bombings during the morning rush hour - targeting Iraqi police and army patrols, government officials heading for work or commuters, in an attempt to undermine public confidence.
At least 24 people were killed Oct 2 in suicide attacks against two Shi'ite mosques in Baghdad. A string of explosions Sept 28 in mostly Shi'ite areas of Baghdad killed at least 32 people and wounded nearly 100.
The continuing attacks show the determination of extremist groups to continue the fight against the US-backed government and lie behind U.S. military concern about drawing down the 151,000-member US military force too quickly.
A still unratified security agreement with the US would keep American soldiers here until 2012.
President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to withdraw all combat troops within 16 months of taking office Jan 20, although he has said he would consult with the Iraqi government and US commanders before ordering any drawdown. -- AP
