Iraq police: Fruit market bomb kills 15, hurts 40

Source: MSNBC/AP

Blast follows a sharp increase in violence over the past month

BAGHDAD - A car bomb exploded Wednesday at the entrance to a fruit and vegetable market in south Baghdad, killing 15 people and wounding about 40, police and hospital officials said, in the latest sign of rising attacks.

The blast, which occurred about 7 a.m. at the Rasheed market in the city's southern Dora area, follows a sharp increase in violence in Iraq last month, raising concern that militants have regrouped after suffering sharp setbacks in fighting over the last two years.

Hours later, another car bomb exploded in the capital's Karradah district, killing two people and wounding six, police said. The bomb apparently targeted a police patrol but missed.

Most of the recent bombings have taken place in Shiite areas, suggesting Sunni militants such as al-Qaida in Iraq are responsible. The Rasheed market is in a mainly Sunni area, but the farmers who bring their crops there are predominantly Shiites.

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