A suicide bomber killed at least eight people and injured 30 others early Wednesday when he detonated explosives within a crowd of Iraqi workers in the Baab Al Sharjee area of Baghdad.
Mohammed Daoud, an eyewitness, described the scene of devastation, saying, "We were eating breakfast and we heard an explosion. We went to see what happened and we saw people torn apart on the pavement," reported Reuters.
Baab Al Sharjee, an area where men often congregate in the hopes of finding work, has been the site of numerous attacks in which civilians have been killed.
Video released of German hostages
Meanwhile, a video was released on Tuesday of two German hostages and their captors, who threatened to murder the men within 72 hours unless Germany closed its embassy in Iraq, ceased to cooperate in its occupation, and withdrew all German companies from the country.
The video, dated January 29, was broadcast on the Arabic satellite station Al Jazeera, who stated that the kidnappers belonged to the Ansar Al Tawhid Wa Sunna group.
The two men, Rene Braeunlich and Thomas Nitzschke, were kidnapped in the town of Baiji last Tuesday, according to Reuters.
A spokesman for the German foreign ministry told reporters, "The pictures are testimony to a crime that shows a contempt for humanity. Experts from the foreign ministry crisis group are examining the pictures carefully."
An earlier video released on Friday showed the men urging their government to help secure their release.
