The blood tally in a wave of stunning and coordinated attacks in central Baghdad rose to 91 by today evening, with 552 persons wounded, the Voices of Iraq agency reported, citing security sources, according to dpa. The casualties - far higher than the previously reported 70 killed and 400 injured - resulted from some 10 explosions which rocked the city in a combination of car bombs, explosive devices and mortars, witnesses told the German Press Agency dpa. In the deadliest wave of attacks since US troops withdrew from the city on June 30, a second car bomb exploded near the Foreign Ministry, near the heavily protected Green Zone, the site of most foreign embassies. At least two mortar shells landed inside the Green Zone, while a third landed just outside, police said. The blasts took place as hundreds of people were shopping in preparation for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to start on Saturday. Medics at five hospitals in Baghdad said they had seen 70 deaths and more than 400 wounded people by Wednesday evening. Iraqi state television evening put the figure slightly lower, 65 people had died, but said that the number of dead could rise. Other bombs went off near the ministries of health, trade, education and housing, while still more blasts shook the neighbourhoods of al-Azamiya, al-Salihiya, al-Bayaa and al-Karada. Police told dpa the explosions blew out the windows of the nearby parliament building, damaged nearby houses and shattered glass at the al-Rashid Hotel, where many visiting dignitaries and journalists stay. "The terrorists are trying to rekindle the cycle of violence of previous years by creating an atmosphere of tension among the Iraqi people," Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said in a statement. "Evil is still present in the empty heads of the criminals and the minds of those who support and finance them," he said.
