84 die in Iraqi bomb blasts

A SUICIDE bomber blew himself up outside a textile factory yesterday in a crowd that gathered after two car bombings at the same spot in the worst of a series of attacks that killed at least 84 people across Iraq, the deadliest day this year.

More than two months after the March 7 elections, there is still no new government in sight and the negotiations to form one could drag on for months more as US troops prepare to withdraw.

In the worst attack of the day, a suicide bomber with explosives strapped to his belt blew himself up among a crowd of people who were trying to help victims of two car bombs that went off earlier outside a textile factory in the Shi’ite city of Hillah south of Baghdad, said police spokesman Major Muthana Khalid.

At least 45 were killed and 140 wounded, said Khalid and Zuhair al Khafaji, director of al-Hillah general hospital.

Police said the cars were parked outside the factory, and were believed to be detonated by remote control.

Other attacks targeted Sunni and Shi’ite areas and by mid-afternoon, at least 75 were killed across Iraq.