Iraq car bombing causes carnage ~ More than 100 killed
news.bbc.co.uk
Last Updated: Monday, 28 February, 2005, 10:11 GMT
More than 100 people have been killed in a massive car bomb south of Baghdad, the head of a local hospital has told the BBC.
Dozens of others were wounded in the blast in Hilla, 100km (60 miles) south of the capital.
The car exploded near of queue of people applying for government jobs.
Iraqi insurgents are waging a violent campaign against US-backed authorities, targeting anyone associated with the government.
The victims of Monday's attack in Hilla had gathered at a medical centre to receive medical certificates required for state jobs, a police spokesman said.
Witnesses reported seeing dozens of bodies lying on the ground after the blast.
"All the hospital's rooms, even those used for cardiology, are filled with the wounded," Mohammed Dia, the head of Hilla general hospital, told the AFP news agency.
The bombing comes as Iraqi groups are holding talks over forming a new, Shia-dominated government following last month's general elections.
Hilla is a mainly Shia town, and Sunni militants have been openly striking at Shia targets in an attempt to stir up sectarian strife, says the BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad.
In another incident, a US soldier was shot and killed in Baghdad on Sunday while manning a traffic checkpoint, the US military says. |
