Twin blasts rock Baghdad, killing 5

Twin blasts rock Baghdad, killing 5

2011-11-04 17:45:16 GMT+7 (ICT)

BAGHDAD, IRAQ (BNO NEWS) -- At least five people were killed on Thursday evening and nearly a dozen more were wounded when two bomb blasts rocked the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, officials said on Friday.

The attacks happened in the Karadeh area of central Baghdad when two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) detonated, killing at least five people and injuring 10 others. Among those killed were four police officers.

Earlier on Thursday, eight people were killed and 22 others were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the Gatoun neighborhood Baquba, the capital of Iraq's Diyala Governorate. The initial explosion was quickly followed by a car bomb.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

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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