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String of blasts in Iraqi capital kills 10

10 October 2011 20:47 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Iraqi officials say a string of explosions targeting security officials has killed at least 10 people in western Baghdad, APA reports quoting Associated Press.

A police official says the first explosion was caused by a roadside bomb in a Shiite neighborhood Monday evening. Minutes later, a second bomb exploded nearby, targeting a passing police patrol.

The official says a third blast then struck as firefighters arrived on the scene of the first blast.

He says 19 people were wounded. A hospital official confirmed the casualties.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

BASRA, Iraq (AP) â€” Iraqi officials say six members of a demining team died when a controlled detonation of old land mines went wrong.

A police official said Monday the accident happened near the city of Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, on Saturday.

The official says land mines and other munitions left over from the Iraq-Iran war and the 1991 Gulf War had been piled together for a controlled detonation but failed to explode.

As the troops went to investigate, the explosion happened, killing three Iraqi soldiers and three explosives experts.

A medical official at a nearby hospital confirmed the toll. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to release information.

Twenty-five percent of the world’s unexploded land mines are buried in Iraq.