Death toll of Baghdad bomb explosions targeting Shiites rises to 52

The most serious attack occurred close to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's office in Sadr city, killing 39 and wounding 56, said the source on condition of anonymity, adding that actually there were two cars loaded with explosives and were detonated together.

In eastern Baghdad, another car bomb and a roadside bomb explosion attacked a Shiite mosque, leaving 8 killed and 23 injured, he said.

Earlier in the day, a booby-trapped car apparently targeting a Shiite mosque blasted in northern Baghdad, killing 5 and wounding 14 others.

A moment later, a market in Haifa street close to the Justice Ministry was also attacked by a car bomb explosion, wounding 7. Xinhua reporters could clearly see the heavy smoke rising from the blast site. Ambulances rushed to the site just a few minutes after the explosion.

In a separate blast in southern Baghdad, 6 people were injured, said the source.

Shiite commemorations have often been targeted by various armed groups in Iraq. A string of bomb blasts in the past week have already caused dozens of casualties, Kazinform refers to Xinhuanet.

See www.chinaview.cn