Baghdad: An Iraqi police official said a bomb attached to a small truck exploded on Friday at the entrance of a wholesale vegetable market, a day after Iraq`s Prime Minister promised increased security at checkpoints near government buildings and markets.
The truck passed through an Iraqi police checkpoint in southern Baghdad but was not searched minutes before exploding at the front gate of the market, killing two and wounding 20, said the official.
The bombing is the latest in a series of attacks this week to strike Baghdad, shaking public confidence in the ability of Iraqi security forces and raising questions about the pace of the transition of security from US to Iraqi hands.
The Iraqi government said it was increasing security at checkpoints near government buildings and markets and keeping concrete blast barriers around potential targets after a wave of bombings killed more than 100.
The officials said the decision was made after a near simultaneous double truck bombing Wednesday that targeted the Foreign Ministry and the Finance Ministry.
The truck bomb on Friday exploded at about 7:30 am, the height of business at the wholesale market in Dora, a primarily Sunni neighbourhood in southern Baghdad, the official said.
The truck was carrying vegetables when it passed through the checkpoint, which is a short distance from the market, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to release the information.
The same market was struck by a bombing last month that killed 18.
The uptick in violence comes less than two months after US troops withdrew from Iraqi cities, raising fears about the readiness of Iraqi forces to provide security as the US winds down combat operations.
Bureau Report
