Separate bombings in Iraq kill at least 20

A series of bombings Thursday struck commercial areas in central Iraq, killing at least 20 civilians and wounding about 60, authorities said.                

The four blasts came from explosives-rigged parked cars and one by a bomb that ripped through an outdoor market in four cities, police said. The worst hit was Hillah, where two car bombs killed nine civilians and wounded 28, police said.             

Hillah is located about 60 miles (95 kilometers) south of Baghdad.              

The officer said a third explosion killed four people and wounded 10 in the nearby town of Iskandariyah, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the capital.             

In Mishahda, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Baghdad, a car bomb killed five civilians and wounded 14, another police officer said. A bomb in Baghdad's southeastern suburb of Jisr Diyala killed two civilians and wounded seven, police said.            

Three medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release the information.              

The attacks came a day after a series of explosions killed at least 24 people in different parts of Iraq. Such bombings have increased since last year, along with Sunni anger over perceived mistreatment and random arrests of Sunnis by the authorities.            

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but they bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida and other Sunni insurgents, who frequently use car bombs and suicide attacks to target public areas and government buildings in their bid to undermine confidence in the government.            


AP