At least eight people were killed and 66 others wounded in a car bomb explosion in a crowded central Baghdad area on Friday, an Interior Ministry source said.

"A car bomb parked near the Taiyran Square in Bab al-Sharji area detonated in the afternoon, killing at least eight people and wounding 66 others," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Earlier he said 32 people were injured.

The attack targeted a busy area in downtown Baghdad where several outdoor marketplaces and parking lots located, the source said. The area has been targeted in the past.

Iraqi security forces cordoned off the area while ambulances raced to evacuate casualties, he said.

The blast was the most serious in terms of the casualties since Nov. 23 when a bombing killed 13 and wounded about 60 in a bustling pet market in central Baghdad.

Overall violence in Iraq has fallen in recent months largely because of a surge of U.S. troops in the capital, the ceasefire by a major Shiite militia group and the Sunni uprising against the al- Qaida terrorists.

(Xinhua News Agency December 29, 2007)
Eight killed, 66 injured in Baghdad car bombing

At least eight people were killed and 66 others wounded in a car bomb explosion in a crowded central Baghdad area on Friday, an Interior Ministry source said.

"A car bomb parked near the Taiyran Square in Bab al-Sharji area detonated in the afternoon, killing at least eight people and wounding 66 others," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Earlier he said 32 people were injured.

The attack targeted a busy area in downtown Baghdad where several outdoor marketplaces and parking lots located, the source said. The area has been targeted in the past.

Iraqi security forces cordoned off the area while ambulances raced to evacuate casualties, he said.

The blast was the most serious in terms of the casualties since Nov. 23 when a bombing killed 13 and wounded about 60 in a bustling pet market in central Baghdad.

Overall violence in Iraq has fallen in recent months largely because of a surge of U.S. troops in the capital, the ceasefire by a major Shiite militia group and the Sunni uprising against the al- Qaida terrorists.

(Xinhua News Agency December 29, 2007)