BAGHDAD, June 3 (Xinhua) -- A bomb went off in a market in thesecond
biggest Iraqi city of Basra on Saturday, killing 15 peopleand wounding 30
others, Iraqi police said.
The bomb exploded near an outdoor market in the center of thesouthern
oil-rich city, police said.
The explosion
came after Prime Minister Nuri al-Malikiannounced a state of emergency in Basra
on May 31 in a bid to reinin the unrest there.
Basra, a key oil and port city for Iraq, had enjoyed relativecalm since
Saddam Hussein was toppled in the U.S-led invasion in2003.
About 8,000 British troops are currently deployed there.However, the
security situation has deteriorated sharply inrecent months as Shiite factions
are locked in heated powerstruggles in Basra, which threatens oil exports
accounting for abig chunk of the country's revenue. Enditem
