Bombs exploded in two crowded markets Monday, leaving at least 18 dead in one Iraqi city and six in another, police and Iraqi officials said. A motorcycle packed with explosives detonated in the middle of a crowded market in Baquba, killing at least 18 people and wounding 20 others Monday evening, Iraqi police was quoted as saying by CNN. The blast happened in a square surrounded by coffee shops and stores at 9:30 p.m. Monday, a time when many Iraqis were gathered there, police said. A short time earlier, a bomb exploded in a Hilla market, killing at least six people and wounding at least 56 others, police said. The attacks were the latest in a spate of bombing and shootings Monday that killed 14 others and wounded 16, Iraqi police said.
