Children among six dead in Baghdad attack

A mortar round killed at least six people and injured 35 others when it landed in a busy Baghdad street today.

The blast on al-Rasheed Street, a commercial district of the Iraqi capital, set one building on fire and damaged seven cars, said Interior Ministry Colonel Adnan Abdul-Rahmane.

Hospital officials said two children were among the dead and three other bodies were burned beyond recognition.

The blast smashed the front of a barbershop, and blood mixed with shards of glass on the street.

The attack occurred on the final day of the country’s National Conference, a gathering of delegates from across Iraq that was considered a major target for insurgents who have waged violent attacks here for the past 16 months.

The mortar blast was not near the fortified enclave that housed the conference.