Iraqi Town Left Devastated by Attack
The death toll surged past 90 on Sunday, a day after a man with a bomb strapped to his waist blew himself up next to a loaded fuel tanker, incinerating people and buildings in this mostly Shiite Muslim town. Law enforcement officials in Baghdad and nearby Hillah, the capital of Babil province, say the massive explosion around the time of sunset prayers Saturday was part of an elaborate operation designed to inflict maximum civilian casualties. Authorities expect the number of dead to increase because many of the 150 people wounded in Saturday’s attack suffered life-threatening injuries. A police official in Baghdad said the license plate of the gasoline tanker involved in the blast matched one stolen by armed bandits a few days ago on the road between the capital and Fallouja. Full Story