Baghdad market on fire
2008-04-06 17:46
Baghdad - One of Iraq's biggest food markets, Jamila in Baghdad's Sadr City, caught fire on Sunday during fierce clashes between Shi'ite fighters and security forces, an AFP correspondent and witnesses said.
The fire broke out at around 16:30 (13:30 GMT) as fighters attacked a nearby joint Iraqi-US outpost in the sprawling district which is a bastion of the Mahdi Army militia of anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
"The outpost which is close to the Jamila market was set up this morning and immediately came under attack by mortars," Wessam Jaffar, a resident from Sadr City, told AFP.
He said there was a loud blast in the afternoon followed by more firefights near the outpost. "Soon afterwards the market caught fire."
Thick black smoke could be seen billowing into the sky for hours as the fire burnt several shops, he said.
The Jamila food market is also one of the oldest in Iraq.
Security officials said fierce clashes raged early morning in Sadr City and sporadically during the day between Iraq, US forces and militiamen, killing at least 20 people and wounding more than 50 others.
- AFP