Suicide attack at Baghdad army center claims 47

By: Hamoud Kufi

BAGHDAD, Iraq: A suicide car bomb exploded in a crowd of hundreds of Iraqis waiting outside an army recruiting center in Baghdad on Wednesday, leaving more than 47 people dead and taking the 24-hour death toll in attacks against Iraqis up to 100.

US Colonel Ralph Baker told reporters: “It was a suicide attack by a single male. It was aimed strictly at Iraqis,” adding that the car had been laden with 300-500 pounds of plastic explosives mixed with artillery shells to maximize the “kill effect.”

Most of Wednesday's victims were newly-recruited soldiers reporting for duty. According to the US military attack came at around 7:40 am (11:40 pm EST Tuesday) when a car drove into the Iraqi army facility in central Baghdad and exploded.

Around 55 people were left dead on Tuesday in a similar attack on Iraqis outside a police station south of Baghdad.

END