Sepcial Report: Tension accelerates in Iraq 

Iraqi men stare at a destroyed taxi after insurgents set off a roadside bomb in Baghdad's Shurja market. Insurgents killed at least 45 Iraqis and wounded scores more in a series of bombings, including one in a crowded Baghdad market and another at a military recruitment centre (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

    BAGHDAD, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The death toll rose to 24 people killed and up to 35 others wounded in the bomb blast in Baghdad's commercial area of Shorja, a police source said.

    "Our latest report said that 24 civilians were killed and 35 others wounded when a bomb detonated in the Shorja area," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

    Earlier, the police said that a bomb blast occurred shortly after 10:00 a.m. (0600 GMT) in the busy commercial area of Shorja, killing a civilian and wounding more than ten others.

    Iraqi security forces and ambulances rushed to the scene to secure the area and evacuate casualties, the source added.

    Separately, a coordinated bomb and car bomb blasts rocked the Karradah neighborhood in southern Baghdad, killing a total of two people and wounding 21 others.

    "A bomb went off in a road near the Mussa Bin Nassir Fuel station in Karradah at around 11:00 a.m. (0700 GMT) and while police patrol approach the scene a car bomb waiting for them detonated," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

    Earlier in the day, the police said that apparently a bike-bomb left close to the office of a recruitment center in Hilla, 100 km south of Baghdad, detonated at about 8:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) and killed at least 12 people and wounded some 30 others.

    The blast took place when a crowd of volunteers gathered outside the office to sign up for the army, the source added.

    Meanwhile, police Lt. Osama Ahmed said a man posing as a potential army recruit had planted the bicycle bomb.

    The blasts follows several days of heavy bloodshed outside the capital city of Baghdad, where U.S. and Iraqi troops have mounted a major security crackdown. Enditem