Twin car bombs at a traffic police checkpoint and nearby markets in a neighborhood known as New Baghdad killed at least 19 people on Wednesday, Iraqi officials said. (Sept. 10)
SHOTLIST:
AP TELEVISION – AP CLIENTS ONLY
Checkpoint location, New Baghdad
1. People gathered near crater caused by explosion, damaged cars in background
2. Various of damaged cars
3. Crater in ground, damaged cars in background
4. Pan of damaged cars
5. Pan of crater
6. Top shot of damaged vehicles
7. Crane removing damaged vehicle
Market location, New Baghdad
8. Various of damaged car
STORYLINE
Twin car bombs at a traffic police checkpoint and nearby markets in Baghdad killed at least 19 people on Wednesday, Iraqi officials said.
Police officials said the double attack started when an explosive-laden car rammed into a checkpoint manned by traffic police in the southeastern neighborhood of New Baghdad, killing five policemen and wounding nine others.
Seconds later, a car bomb explosion at nearby pet and vegetable markets killed 14 people and wounded 35 others. Several cars were damaged in the both blasts.
Security forces sealed off all the roads leading to the attack site.
Medical officials confirmed the casualties. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists.
The attack comes after the Islamic State group captured large swaths of territory in western and northern Iraq in a lightning offensive earlier this year, plunging the country into its worst crisis since US troops left at the end of 2011.
Washington has urged Iraq’s feuding factions to set aside their differences in order to confront the insurgency.
The country’s once dominant Sunni minority has long complained of being marginalized and discriminated against, and Sunni grievances with Baghdad are seen as one of the main factors fueling the rise of the Islamic State group.
