Iraq bomb attacks kill at least 42

BAGHDAD -- A series of evening bombings near markets in and around Baghdad and other blasts north of the capital killed at least 42 people and wounded dozens of others Monday in another eruption of bloodshed that rocked Iraq.

The attacks were the latest in a wave of violence that has claimed more than 2,000 lives since the beginning of April. Militants, building on Sunni discontent with the Shia-led government, appear to be growing stronger in central and northern Iraq.

The violence came as tens of thousands of Shias poured into the holy city of Karbala, about 50 miles south of Baghdad, for the annual festival of Shabaniyah. It marks the anniversary of the birth of the ninth-century Shia leader known as the Hidden Imam. Tight security measures were in force to try to prevent insurgent attacks on the worshippers.

One of the deadliest attacks came at night when two bombs placed near a market blew up less than a minute apart in Baghdad's mostly Shia neighborhood of Husseiniyah, killing 10 people and wounding 30 others.

Police said the second bomb went off among a group of people who had gathered at the scene to help the victims of the first blast.

Bassem Hazim, a merchant from Husseiniyah, said he was preparing for night prayers when he heard an explosion. He went out to see what happened.

"As we came near the blast site, a second bomb went off in the crowd. We helped carry some wounded people to the hospital," he said. -- AP