• 13:14
  • Tuesday ,05 July 2011
العربية

Iraq: Two blasts kill 27 in Taji north of Baghdad

By-BBC

International News

00:07

Tuesday ,05 July 2011

Iraq: Two blasts kill 27 in Taji north of Baghdad

Two explosions at a government building in a town just north of Iraq's capital Baghdad have killed at least 27 people and wounded 50 others, officials say.

A car bomb and another device detonated in the car park of the municipal building in Taji, 20km (12 miles) north of the capital, security sources told the Reuters news agency.
On Monday, at least 10 people died in bomb and gun attacks across Iraq.
June was the deadliest month this year for Iraqi civilians, figures show.
Double explosion
Iraq's Deputy Health Minister Khamis al-Saad said Monday's blasts in Taji killed at least 27 people. An interior ministry source has put the initial toll at 35 dead.
Raad al-Tamimi, the head of Taji municipality, said the blasts were timed to cause maximum damage.
"The place was crowded with people who were going to process official papers and with police and employees," Mr Tamimi told Reuters.
Official figures show that overall attacks in Iraq spiked in June, with 271 Iraqi civilians killed, up 34% from May's toll.
Fourteen US soldiers were also killed in June, making it the bloodiest month since June 2008 for US troops, who are due to withdraw from Iraq by the end of this year.
Iraq has blamed al-Qaeda for the deaths, but the US military says Iranian-backed militias are responsible for the attacks on its troops.