BAGHDAD — Three bombs ripped through a sprawling Baghdad market Sunday, killing eight people at the beginning of a Muslim religious holiday and just hours after the prime minister warned of Iraq’s continued danger.
Police said the bombs were planted in different parts of the Shorja market in downtown Baghdad, striking as shoppers were preparing for this week’s Eid al-Adha feast. City health officials confirmed the death toll released by the police and said 19 people were also injured.
Meanwhile, a roadside bomb hit a security patrol in the northern city of Mosul, killing an Iraqi soldier, police said.
Earlier Sunday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki urged his security forces to step up their vigilance against violence. Al-Maliki said continued threats show that insurgents want to prevent Iraq from becoming a stable nation.
“You have done much for Iraq, but Iraq remains in the circle of danger,” al-Maliki told security officials. “It needs more attention and care to confront those who want to damage security, who are plotting to turn this Eid, the Eid of happiness to Iraqis, into the Eid of blood.”
Iraqi Shiites mark the beginning of the Eid today, while Sunnis did so Sunday.
The Associated Press
