A car bomb went off in a livestock market in Iraq's southern Babil province on Thursday, killing 12 people, injuring 40, police said. The blast in Hamza, a mostly Shi'ite Muslim town 130 km south of Baghdad, reported in a region that has been relatively quiet for months, Reuters reported. Officials said they suspected it to be the work of militants linked to feuding local Shi'ite Muslim politicians.
"We were shocked by this terrorist act," said town council member Ibrahim al Taie. "Here, there are only poor people trying to earn an honest living. We blame the security forces for (failing to stop) this." Security sources said they thought the bomb was planted by militants with links to local politicians unhappy about the elections.
