Baghdad Car Bomb Attack leaves 22 Dead, 54 Others Injured

December 27, 2008 2:08 p.m. EST

Baghdad, Iraq (AHN) - Early estimates have at least 22 people dead and 54 others injured following a car bomb attack in a Shia district of Baghdad. The blast occurred near a bus station in the Kadhimiya district. The attack came less than a week before Iraq regains responsibility for its security from the United States.

Security officials say women and children were among those slain in the explosion.

According to U.S. Military officials the attack occurred around noon local time (0900 GMT).

Kadhimiya, an affluent neighborhood, is home to the revered Shiite Imam Kadhim shrine and is renowned for its old market and jewelry merchants.

Reports from the scene say the area targeted in the attack is on the travel route to a major Shia mosque, where crowds often gather on Saturdays.

Over the last few months there has been a marked decrease in violence in Iraq however attacks still occur regularly in Baghdad and other cities.

Ten days ago, 18 people were killed and dozens more wounded in two bomb attacks in Baghdad's Munstansariyah district, close to a police station and a hospital resulting in numerous police fatalities.

On Tuesday, U.S. Gen. Ray Odierno, the senior American commander in Iraq, warned that despite the curb in violence recently, armed groups such as Al Qaeda in Iraq still posed a threat.

Saturday's bombing was the deadliest in the Iraqi capital since Nov. 10, when at least 28 people were killed, including women and schoolgirls, and dozens more wounded in a triple bombing in a market.