Iraq market bombs kill one, wound 29: officials

Four bombs exploded in Baghdad's Shorjah market on Sunday, killing at least one person and wounding 29 on the first day of Eid al-Adha, the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice, security officials said.

The bombs exploded at about 1:00 pm (1000 GMT), setting fire to part of the market, interior and defence ministry officials said, giving a final casualty toll of one dead and 29 wounded.

The Shorjah market in the heart of the capital is the main market in Iraq, and is more than 700 years old, dating to the Abbasid period.

Baghdad operations command had announced additional security measures around mosques, parks and other public areas to guard them during the Eid al-Adha feast.

Some 32,000 security forces members were also deployed in the central Shiite shrine city of Najaf for Eid al-Adha, security sources in the province said.

Violence has declined nationwide since its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks remain common. A total of 258 people were killed in October, according to official figures.

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