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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
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| Explosion at Iraq parliament cafe | Explosion at Iraq parliament cafe |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| An explosion has hit a cafeteria at the Iraqi parliament, killing at least two MPs and injuring at least 15 people, witnesses and security officials say. | An explosion has hit a cafeteria at the Iraqi parliament, killing at least two MPs and injuring at least 15 people, witnesses and security officials say. |
| Police said they believed a suicide bomber was involved, but that they were keeping an open mind about the cause. | Police said they believed a suicide bomber was involved, but that they were keeping an open mind about the cause. |
| The cafe, in Baghdad's highly fortified Green Zone, is for MPs and their staff, some of whom were having lunch there. | The cafe, in Baghdad's highly fortified Green Zone, is for MPs and their staff, some of whom were having lunch there. |
| Earlier, a bomb on a bridge in Baghdad killed at least eight people and sent several cars into the River Tigris. | Earlier, a bomb on a bridge in Baghdad killed at least eight people and sent several cars into the River Tigris. |
| Click here for a aerial map of the Green Zone | Click here for a aerial map of the Green Zone |
| The two attacks are major blows to the much-trumpeted Baghdad security surge now in its third month, the BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says. | The two attacks are major blows to the much-trumpeted Baghdad security surge now in its third month, the BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says. |
| The convention centre where parliament meets is one of the most heavily guarded buildings in the country, he says. There are sniffer dogs, and all the other usual precautions are taken. Sometimes several searches are made within the space of just a few metres. | The convention centre where parliament meets is one of the most heavily guarded buildings in the country, he says. There are sniffer dogs, and all the other usual precautions are taken. Sometimes several searches are made within the space of just a few metres. |
| Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said the attack was a "criminal cowardly act" and said the violence would not weaken MPs' resolve, AFP news agency reported. | |
| Chaos and confusion | Chaos and confusion |
| The bomb went off 10 minutes after the parliament had adjourned for lunch. | The bomb went off 10 minutes after the parliament had adjourned for lunch. |
| We saw lots of smoke coming from the hall, with people lying on the ground and pools of blood Parliamentary official | We saw lots of smoke coming from the hall, with people lying on the ground and pools of blood Parliamentary official |
| It exploded in the cafeteria on the first floor where the deputies, their staff and parliamentary officials were taking their break. | It exploded in the cafeteria on the first floor where the deputies, their staff and parliamentary officials were taking their break. |
| MP Mohammed Hassan Awad from the National Dialogue bloc (a Sunni group not part of the government) was killed in the blast. | MP Mohammed Hassan Awad from the National Dialogue bloc (a Sunni group not part of the government) was killed in the blast. |
| Another MP was also killed and at least three more parliamentarians were among the injured, a police source told the BBC. | Another MP was also killed and at least three more parliamentarians were among the injured, a police source told the BBC. |
| Iraqi media reports said a third person, a parliamentary employee, had died. | |
| Windows were blown out in the attack and there was chaos and confusion. "We heard a huge explosion inside the restaurant," a parliamentary official at the scene told Reuters news agency. | Windows were blown out in the attack and there was chaos and confusion. "We heard a huge explosion inside the restaurant," a parliamentary official at the scene told Reuters news agency. |
| "We went to see what was going on. We saw lots of smoke coming from the hall, with people lying on the ground and pools of blood." | "We went to see what was going on. We saw lots of smoke coming from the hall, with people lying on the ground and pools of blood." |
| This is the first time a bomb has gone off inside the building although it has been shaken by several mortar attacks in the past. Several MPs have been assassinated outside the Green Zone. | This is the first time a bomb has gone off inside the building although it has been shaken by several mortar attacks in the past. Several MPs have been assassinated outside the Green Zone. |
| The security drive has brought down the rate of sectarian murders, but it has not stopped the bomb attacks. | The security drive has brought down the rate of sectarian murders, but it has not stopped the bomb attacks. |
| The bombing of the Sarafiya bridge, one of the main arterial bridges in Baghdad, had been condemned by the speaker of parliament a short time before the explosion in his own building. | The bombing of the Sarafiya bridge, one of the main arterial bridges in Baghdad, had been condemned by the speaker of parliament a short time before the explosion in his own building. |
| The bridge, one of the main linking the two halves of the capital across the Tigris River, was partially demolished by a huge truck bomb. | The bridge, one of the main linking the two halves of the capital across the Tigris River, was partially demolished by a huge truck bomb. |
| The US White House condemned the attack on the cafeteria. National Security spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the attack did not cast doubt on the security plan but rather showed the resolve of the insurgents. | |
| "They are worried that the United States and Iraqi security forces are fighting them, so they are fighting back because they do not want the people of Iraq to live in freedom," he said. | |
| Click to return | Click to return |
| Are you in Iraq? Do you know anyone who has been affected by the bomb blasts? Send us your comments. | Are you in Iraq? Do you know anyone who has been affected by the bomb blasts? Send us your comments. |