Suicide bomber kills 39 in market blast
The carnage came shortly after Iraqi politicians decided to convene parliament three days earlier than planned, suggesting some progress in efforts to form a unity government.
The death toll in Sadr City was sure to rise as residents, many firing Kalashnikov rifles into the air, raced to and fro to collect charred corpses from among burning vehicles and shops. Angry residents kicked the head of the suicide bomber, apparently an African, as it lay in the street of the al-Hay market in the East Baghdad neighbourhood.
