Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

    BAGHDAD, March 5 (Xinhua) -- A car bomb ripped through a crowded market in central Baghdad on Monday killed four people and wounded up to 72 others, an Interior Ministry source said.

    "The latest report said that four people were killed and 72 others wounded when a car bomb went off at the busy book market of the al-Mutanabi in central Baghdad," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

    A booby-trapped car detonated around midday in the most attractive market place in Baghdad, the Mutanabi book market, where dozens of book stores and out-door sellers line up displaying their books, magazines and other goods on the floor.

    Witnesses at the scene said a powerful blast occurred that left mixed flesh and remains of books scattered in the street.

    A plume of gray smoke followed by columns of black smoke rose over the area, they added.

    Separately, the police said they found six bodies of young men and children in the Omer Bin Abdul Aziz Street in northern Baghdad district of Azamiyah.

    The bodies showed signs of torture with bullet holes in the head and the chest, they said.

    Insurgents have launched attacks on Iraqi security forces to counterbalance their all-out offensive in Baghdad and other cities aimed at curbing violence in the war-torn country.