Baghdad, 11 February 2004 (RFE/RL) -- A suicide attacker blew up his car in Baghdad this morning amid a crowd of hundreds of people applying for jobs outside an army recruiting center.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry says 47 people were killed and over 50 others injured in the blast.
Abbas Fadhil witnessed the attacked and described it to the Reuters news agency. "I was with a group of about 200 young Iraqis, standing in the street, and they struck at us [with the bomb]. The Americans were not affected because they were inside the recruiting center," Fadhil said.
The attack comes 24 hours after a car bomb killed some 50 people at a police station in Iskandariya, about 40 kilometers south of the capital. Most of those victims were also Iraqi civilians lining up to apply for jobs.
Iraq's new police and army forces are central to Washington's plan to hand over power to Iraqis on 30 June.
Anti-coalition fighters have said that attacks such as today's are targeted against collaborators with Americans.
Abbas Fadhil witnessed the attacked and described it to the Reuters news agency. "I was with a group of about 200 young Iraqis, standing in the street, and they struck at us [with the bomb]. The Americans were not affected because they were inside the recruiting center," Fadhil said.
The attack comes 24 hours after a car bomb killed some 50 people at a police station in Iskandariya, about 40 kilometers south of the capital. Most of those victims were also Iraqi civilians lining up to apply for jobs.
Iraq's new police and army forces are central to Washington's plan to hand over power to Iraqis on 30 June.
Anti-coalition fighters have said that attacks such as today's are targeted against collaborators with Americans.