Car bombs kill 19 near pet market in Iraqi capital
BAGHDAD - Twin car bombs hit a police checkpoint near a pet market in Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 19 people, Iraqi officials said.
Police said the attack began when a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car 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 near the market killed 14 shoppers and passers-by, wounding 35 others and killing dozens of pet birds. Several cars were damaged in the blasts.
