Baghdad death toll rises to 54
Thursday, 6 March 2008 22:19
At least 54 people were killed and 123 wounded in a double bomb attack in central Baghdad.
The twin attack, comprising a roadside bombing followed by a suicide attack, happened in Al-Atar Street in central Baghdad's Karada neighbourhood.
The bombings come after Iraq witnessed a sharp rise in the number of people killed in violence, following a six-month period in which the death toll fell.
In February, the number of Iraqis killed rose by 33% over the previous month, reversing a six-month trend of fewer casualties.
The drop in the violence during the six months to January was attributed to a surge of an extra 30,000 US troops in Iraq, the formation by Sunni leaders of anti-Qaeda fronts, and Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's freezing of the activities of his Mahdi Army militia.
Today's bombings are the worst since 100 people were killed in two bombings of Baghdad bird markets on 1 February.
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