Bombs round off bloody Ramadan

2006-10-23 19:41

Baghdad - Deadly bomb attacks ripped through Baghdad's streets on Monday as Iraqis marked the end of the bloodiest Ramadan since the US invasion amid spiralling unrest.

At least four blasts, including a car bomb on a crowded shopping street in Shi'ite eastern Baghdad, killed at least eight people and injured more than 20.

As night fell, flashes of fireworks mingled with the familiar crack of automatic weapons and the glow of decoy flares from American choppers.

But as Sunnis began to celebrate the three-day festival of Eid al-Fitr - Iraq's Shiite majority is to follow suit on Tuesday - tensions were mounting around the country following several bloody incidents.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki issued a stern warning to the militia "to refrain from any armed action that violates security... Let all know that the government will deal firmly with those that disrespect the law".

Amara 'very tense'

A British military spokesperson described the situation in Amara as "very tense" and added that a 600-strong British battle group was on standby in case the 3 000 Iraqi troops in the city need assistance.

North of Baghdad, Iraqi soldiers carried out raids to free 25 mainly Shi'ite police recruits who were kidnapped by insurgents the previous night in an ambush that left another 17 trainees dead, the army said.

Forty suspects were detained, including the alleged kidnappers.

Before Ramadan, UN and Iraqi officials were reporting more than 100 deaths per day.

When the holy month began, US officials reported a "tremendous spike" in violence with attacks up by more than a fifth.

- AFP