Deadly car bomb hits Baghdad

A car bomb has killed seven people and wounded 30 others in northern Baghdad. The bomb exploded in Kadhimiya, a Shi’ite district in the Iraqi capital.

The blast came in spite of a major security clamp down ahead of a Shi’ite religious festival next week. The Iraqi government has imposed an indefinite vehicle curfew on the capital.

The ban is to protect Shi’ite pilgrims celebrating the birth of the Imam, a ninth century religious leader whom Shi’ites believe will return to save mankind.

The event attracts ten of thousands of Shi’ites, who are often vulnerable to attack by Sunni militants.

Copyright © 2009 euronews