Attacks plague Iraqi election day

At least 24 people have been killed and dozens injured in numerous attacks in Iraq as polls opened across the country.

Five bombers have blown themselves up at polling centres

A man strapped with explosives blew himself up and killed at least two policemen outside a polling station in Baghdad on Sunday.

 

It was the ninth such attack on voting stations in the capital during the election, a government official said.

 

Earlier, another similar attack killed at least six people in a queue outside a polling station in eastern Baghdad on Sunday.

 

Minutes earlier, another bomber strapped with explosives blew himself up at a polling centre in the Zayuna district of eastern Baghdad, killing at least seven civilians and two policemen and wounding 12, police sources said. 

Earlier, a car bomber blew himself up and killed a policeman outside one polling station and bombers on foot blew themselves up at two other polling stations, killing at least four and wounding more than a dozen.

Another car bomber targeted the home of the interim justice minister, but the minister was not at home at the time, Iraqi police said. Interior ministry sources said one guard was killed and four others injured.

Meanwhile, Baghdad’s al-Mansur district was hit by a car bomb at a makeshift polling station in the Zahra school. Sources said six people were killed, including an Iraqi security member. Thirteen others were injured.

Mosul explosions

 

In northern Iraq, six explosions rocked Mosul early on Sunday, but there were no reported casualties. One polling station visited by the media was empty.

 

A number of voters were killed inthe various attacks
A number of voters were killed inthe various attacks

A number of voters were killed in
the various attacks

Similarly, a mortar shell landed near a polling station in the southern city of Basra, but there were no reports of casualties.

 

In the northern city of Balad, a mortar attack on a polling station killed one woman and wounded another and her child.

Meanwhile, mortar shells struck a polling station in Sadr City killing four voters and wounding seven others.

Also, a number of mortars exploded near the US military base in the northern city of Kirkuk shortly before the voting centres opened. 

More attacks

Another Iraqi civilian was killed in a mortar attack in the city of al-Mahawil about 80km south of Baghdad, the Polish military command of troops in the area reported.

Three policemen were also injured in the blast which occurred in the early morning when voter stations opened.

Further attacks were reported from voting stations in the city of al-Duluiya about 70km north of Baghdad.

In Latifiya, mortars struck two voting stations, an agency correspondent reported. US troops killed one attacker and arrested 15 others, a US officer said.

US marine killed

A US marine was killed in action in Anbar province west of Baghdad on Sunday, the US military said in a statement.

 

It gave no details of the incident. Since the start of the war in Iraq in March 2003, at least 1088 US military and Pentagon personnel have been killed in action. Including non-combat deaths, the toll is at least 1,430. 

Source: Al Jazeera, News Agencies