(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - At least 33 people, including women and children, have been killed and 52 others left injured in twin bomb attacks in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut, local sources say.
A security official said the explosions occurred at 8:00 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) on Monday in a crowded area in the center of the city, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, AFP reported.
According to medics, there were women and children among the Monday casualties.
In a separate incident, two roadside bomb explosions in Baghdad claimed the lives of at least five military personnel and wounded 11 others, including eight civilians, on Sunday.
Bombings and other forms of violence have become an almost daily occurrence in Iraq in recent months as the US government has made no secret of its strong desire to extend its military presence in the war-torn country past the December 2011 withdrawal date.
Iraq's Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi said on Sunday that a continued US military presence is “a problem, not a solution,” adding that their year-end pullout will improve security in the Middle Eastern country.
However, Iraqi leaders have agreed to hold open negotiations with the United States about possible post-2011 military training missions in Iraq.
The US invaded Iraq in 2003 under the pretext of destroying alleged weapons of mass destruction (WMD) belonging to executed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. No WMDs were ever found in Iraq following the invasion.
Over one million Iraqis have been killed since the beginning of the occupation, according to a study by the British polling group, Opinion Research Business (ORB).
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