At least seven people died in a blast near a market in a southern district of Baghdad, officials said Saturday. The explosion was caused by a car bomb, an interior ministry official told the AFP news agency. At least eight people were wounded in the incident, the officials said.
The attack, in the Zafaraniya district of the Iraqi capital, came one day after the top U.S. commander in Iraq declared an end to a 10-day wave of sectarian violence. He also asserted that many reports of violence were "exaggerated." At least 350 Iraqis were killed during that period.
"It appears that the crisis has passed," said Army Gen. George Casey. "But we all should be clear that Iraqis remain under threat of terrorist attacks by those who will stop at nothing to undermine the formation of this constitutionally elected government. ... They tried to have this [be] the straw that broke the camel's back, and it failed."
