Seven die in bombing in Falluja, Iraq

March 15, 2010

At least seven died in a double attack in Falluja, Iraq today. The attack occurred near a military checkpoint in the western Anbar province of the country. 29 were wounded in the attack.

According to officials, the attacks occurred successively, at around 9:00 am (06:00 GMT) in the city, 30 kilometers from the capital, Baghdad. Captain Bashar Mohammed, a police station chief in the city, said the bomber parked his vehicle full of explosives close to a military checkpoint in the central part of the city.

The attacker then left it and detonated his explosives vest near a group of laborers. The bomb in the car, parked about 150 meters from the checkpoint, exploded shortly afterwards. No soldiers were wounded, according to officials. The death toll was confirmed by Ahmed Abdul Halim, a local medic.

"The blast rocked the area and I found myself suddenly on the floor," said 30-year-old Mohammed Abdullah, a shopkeeper who was one of the victims. "Once I saw the smoke and the burning car, I immediately knew it was a bomb," he added.