At least 12 killed, 60-plus injured after motorcycle blasts in southeastern Iraq

At least 12 killed, 60-plus injured after motorcycle blasts in southeastern Iraq

2011-11-03 08:35:11 GMT+7 (ICT)

BASRA, IRAQ (BNO NEWS) -- At least twelve people were killed on Wednesday when three explosions rocked a city in southeastern Iraq, health officials said. More than 60 others were injured.

Three motorcycle bombs detonated on Jamhuriya Street near different cafes in the central area of Basra, the capital of Iraq's Basra Governorate, according to the Commander of Basra Operations, General Mohammed Huwaidi.

Sources from the Basra Health Department told the National Iraqi News Agency (NINA) that the evening blasts, which detonated consecutively, killed at least 12 people and wounded 62 others. Among those killed was at least one police officer while his colleagues were injured.

In addition to the victims, several vehicles and nearby shops were seriously damaged. Fires could be seen burning in the street following the explosions as emergency teams rushed to the scene, NINA reported.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Last week, two bomb blasts hit a gathering at the Sabah al-Khayat Square in eastern Baghdad, killing at least 36 people, including two police officers and two soldiers. Seventy-eight others were injured.

Iraq has witnessed a resurgence in militant attacks in recent months, and last week's attack was the deadliest in Iraq since U.S. President Barack Obama announced the full withdrawal of U.S. forces at the end of the year.

But despite the upsurge, violence in Iraq has dropped significantly since its peak in 2006 and 2007 when the country was embroiled in sectarian bloodshed. However, deadly shootings and bombings still occur on an almost daily basis.

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