Iraq: 20 killed, dozens hurt in suicide attack

At least 20 people were killed and dozens more wounded when a suicide car bomber struck the centre of a major Shiite city in southern Iraq today.

The explosion occurred at 9am local time as the streets were packed with shoppers and people on their way to work in a commercial district in Hillah, according to provincial police.

Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad, has been the site of some of the deadliest bombings in Iraq, including a double suicide attack on March 6 that killed 120 people.