BAGHDAD — A car bomb exploded Friday at an open-air market in a Shiite town northeast of Baghdad, killing 23 people and wounding more than 50, Iraqi police and hospital officials said.
The bombing struck the town of Khalis, a Shiite enclave 50 miles north of Baghdad surrounded by the largely Sunni province of Diyala. It is a former stronghold of al-Qaeda in Iraq that has seen several attacks.
Most of those killed Friday were sitting in a cafe in the center of the market that was reduced to rubble.
“There was a sudden explosion followed by heavy shooting with smoke, fire and yelling, then sirens, ambulances, police,” said Yasser Mohammed, 28, a blacksmith who walked by the cafe minutes before the blast. “There was a frightening scene, mostly women running to the scene I assume to look for their husbands or sons who go to the cafe to play dominos, backgammon or poker.”
While violence has fallen dramatically in Iraq since the height of the insurgency in 2006 and 2007, there are fears that militants are taking advantage of political uncertainty after an inconclusive election to try to destabilize the country.
