Bomb kills 12 at Baghdad livestock market

A car bomb exploded Thursday in a crowded livestock market selling sheep, cattle and goats south of Baghdad, killing at least 12 people and wounding dozens, Iraqi police and medical officials said. The parked car exploded at the height of the morning buying and selling at the market on the outskirts of Hillah, 60 miles (95 kilometers) south of Baghdad, said Iraqi police Major Muthana Khalid.
The blast scattered bodies and animal carcasses throughout the market, a witness said. While violence has declined dramatically in Iraq during the past 18 months, there are concerns about a possible upward trend in bloodshed after a series of high-profile attacks on civilians and US and Iraqi security forces in recent weeks. All the dead and injured in Thursdays bombing were civilians, Khalid said.