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| Version 8 | Version 9 |
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| Dozens killed in Baghdad bombing | Dozens killed in Baghdad bombing |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| At least 57 people have been killed and more than 220 injured after a suicide attacker detonated a large bomb in a central Baghdad square. | At least 57 people have been killed and more than 220 injured after a suicide attacker detonated a large bomb in a central Baghdad square. |
| The man detonated an explosives-packed pick-up truck after reportedly attracting crowds of Shia labourers to his vehicle with the promise of work. | The man detonated an explosives-packed pick-up truck after reportedly attracting crowds of Shia labourers to his vehicle with the promise of work. |
| Reports of another near-simultaneous blast could not be confirmed. | |
| The BBC's Andrew North in Baghdad says this appears to be the latest violence in a spiral of sectarian attacks. | The BBC's Andrew North in Baghdad says this appears to be the latest violence in a spiral of sectarian attacks. |
| The blast in Tayaran square happened at about 0700 (0400 GMT), at a time when it was crowded with day labourers from the Shia suburb of Sadr City who gather there every day hoping to find work. | The blast in Tayaran square happened at about 0700 (0400 GMT), at a time when it was crowded with day labourers from the Shia suburb of Sadr City who gather there every day hoping to find work. |
| "After the explosion, not a single person in the square was standing, I thought everyone was dead," Khaled Nasser, a labourer, told the AFP news agency. | "After the explosion, not a single person in the square was standing, I thought everyone was dead," Khaled Nasser, a labourer, told the AFP news agency. |
| Pictures from the blast | |
| He said his friends were "all cut in half, no legs, and for some I could only find their heads". | He said his friends were "all cut in half, no legs, and for some I could only find their heads". |
| Mangled bodies were piled up by the roadside, some of them covered with paper, Associated Press reported. | Mangled bodies were piled up by the roadside, some of them covered with paper, Associated Press reported. |
| Bloodied survivors were seen weeping or walking in a daze. Witnesses described thick, black smoke rising from the site. | Bloodied survivors were seen weeping or walking in a daze. Witnesses described thick, black smoke rising from the site. |
| Gunfire could be heard immediately after the explosion but it is not clear if this was the work of insurgent snipers or police. | Gunfire could be heard immediately after the explosion but it is not clear if this was the work of insurgent snipers or police. |
| Known tactic | Known tactic |
| Day labourers in the square have been targeted by bombers before. | |
| Correspondents say attracting them with offers of work is a tactic used to ensure the greatest number of casualties. | |
| Hospitals were crowded with victims of the bombings | Hospitals were crowded with victims of the bombings |
| High unemployment and the collapse of Iraq's economy has increased the number of people dependent on such jobs. | High unemployment and the collapse of Iraq's economy has increased the number of people dependent on such jobs. |
| The square is also located near several government ministries and a bridge which crosses the Tigris River to the heavily fortified Green Zone. | The square is also located near several government ministries and a bridge which crosses the Tigris River to the heavily fortified Green Zone. |
| Last month saw some of the bloodiest sectarian violence in Iraq since the US invasion in 2003. Correspondents say the city is gripped by a series of tit-for-tat sectarian killings. | Last month saw some of the bloodiest sectarian violence in Iraq since the US invasion in 2003. Correspondents say the city is gripped by a series of tit-for-tat sectarian killings. |
| On Monday, at least 66 people were killed or found dead in the Baghdad area and northern Iraq, AP reported. | On Monday, at least 66 people were killed or found dead in the Baghdad area and northern Iraq, AP reported. |
| They included 46 men who were shot in the capital - the apparent victims of sectarian death squads. | They included 46 men who were shot in the capital - the apparent victims of sectarian death squads. |
| While suicide bombings are the hallmark of the Sunni insurgency, Iraq's Shia militia groups have been blamed for operating death squads responsible for hundreds of abductions and executions. | While suicide bombings are the hallmark of the Sunni insurgency, Iraq's Shia militia groups have been blamed for operating death squads responsible for hundreds of abductions and executions. |