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Car Bomb Kills 7 in Western Iraq; Basra Death Toll Rises to 43

   VOA News 08 August 2010

   Iraqi  police say a car bomb has killed seven people and wounded 21 in
   Ramadi, a city about 100 kilometers west of Baghdad.
   Meanwhile,  Iraqi  officials say the death toll from an explosion at a
   market in the southern city of Basra has risen from 14 to at least 43.
   Officials say the blast happened Saturday evening at the Ashaar market
   in central Basra.  The explosion injured about 110 others.
   There were conflicting reports about the cause. Some officials said an
   electricity generator exploded, while others described the incident as
   a bomb attack.
   Earlier  Saturday, gunmen killed four policemen and wounded six others
   in   a   pre-dawn   gun   battle  in  Baghdad's  mostly-Sunni  Saidiya
   neighborhood. Several other people were wounded.
   The  shootout  began  when police raided a house acting on tip about a
   stolen car. Police later found a cache of bombs in the building.
   A wave of violence has swept Iraq since its inconclusive parliamentary
   election  in March, leaving some officials fearful that insurgents are
   taking advantage of the political uncertainty.
   Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has admitted to playing a role in
   the  country's post-election stalemate. In an exclusive interview with
   Reuters,  he  says he is "part of the problem" but did not "create the
   problem."
   Iraqi  lawmakers  have  been  locked  in  a  struggle  to  form  a new
   government  after  no  clear  winner  emerged  from  the  election.  A
   Sunni-backed alliance led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi won two
   more seats than Mr. Maliki's mostly-Shi'ite coalition.
   The  political  impasse  is  continuing as the United States withdraws
   troops  and  prepares  to end its combat mission in Iraq by the end of
   the month.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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