35 Children were killed today following a series of bomb blasts in the city of Baghdad Thursday. The bombs exploded as children were receiving candy
from US troops following the opening of a sewage treatment plant. There is some disagreement over what cause the blasts. The Iraq�s claim two car
bombs and an roadside bomb, with American forces claiming that there were 3 car bombs.
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BAGHDAD, Iraq - A series of bombs killed 35 children and seven adults Thursday as U.S. troops handed out candy at a government ceremony to inaugurate
a new sewage treatment plant. Hours earlier, a suicide blast killed a U.S. soldier and two Iraqis on the capital's outskirts.
The bombs in Baghdad's al-Amel neighborhood caused the largest death toll of children in any insurgent attack since the conflict in Iraq began 17
months ago.
"The Americans called us, they told us, 'Come here, come here,' asking us if we wanted sweets. We went beside them, then a car exploded," said
12-year-old Abdel Rahman Dawoud, lying naked in a hospital bed with shrapnel embedded all over his body.
Two bombs went off in quick succession at the ceremony about 1 p.m., then were followed by a third explosion a short distance away, said Interior
Ministry spokesman Col. Adnan Abdul-Rahman. He said there were two suicide car bombs and one roadside bomb; the Americans said all three were car
bombs.
The explosions killed 42 people and wounded 141, including 10 U.S. soldiers. The wounded included 72 children under the age of 14, said Dr. Mohammed
Salaheddin.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said he was disturbed by the televised images of the attacks, and he denounced the "criminal gangs, terrorists
or Saddamists who are trying to undermine iraq, to undermine the political process
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Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari stated "The Iraqi people have suffered enough at the hands of these people," Speaking from London, he went on
to say "We want a new Iraq, a different Iraq." . Between US air strikes and the car bombings the casualty count totaled 42 people dead with 141
injured. Of the injured more than half were under the age of 14.
[edit on 1-10-2004 by Banshee]