By Shia militias on Sunnis that could pave the way toward open sectarian warfare now that U.S. troops have left Iraq.. The powerful blast -- the second deadliest attack in Iraq this month -- set nearby stores and cars ablaze alongside scattered flesh and mutilated bodies. It shattered windows and damaged walls in the local hospital, wounding a nurse and four patients. Within minutes, the hospital was scrambling to treat scores of others.. "It was a huge explosion," said Salam Hussein, who was watching the funeral procession from his grocery store.. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in the predominantly Shia neighborhood of Zafaraniyah in southwestern Baghdad. But the bombing resembled previous attacks by al-Qaida in Iraq.. Minutes after the explosion, gunmen opened fire at a checkpoint in Zafaraniyah, killing two police officers, according to police officials. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.. More than 200 have been killed in bombings and shootings since the U.S. military withdrew from Iraq on Dec. 18. Many of the dead have been Shia pilgrims and Iraqi police and soldiers.. Al-Qaida and other Sunni extremist groups are thought to be exploiting sectarian tensions in the wake of Shia Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's efforts to marginalize the Sunni minority and cement his own grip on power.
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Credit: Newsday
Too many rainy weekends? ... LI Works: Making Countertops ... LEGO at Old Westbury Gardens ... Previewing the Knicks in the NBA Finals ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV
