Jamaat Jund al-Sahaba (Soldiers of the Prophet's Companions) said in a statement posted on the Internet that the bombing was in retaliation for the "crimes" of the Imam Al-Mahdi Army, a Shi'ite militia loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
The authenticity of the statement could not be immediately confirmed.
The blast today occurred in Al-Sadr City, a sprawling Shi'ite slum, which is home to more than 2 million
people and is a stronghold of the Al-Mahdi Army.
Jamaat Jund al-Sahaba has claimed responsibility for earlier attacks against Shi'a.
Police spokesman Colonel Sa'd Abd al-Sada said the bomb was hidden in a small barrel near a kerosene tanker where scores of people were waiting to purchase fuel. He said that when the bomb went off, it exploded the kerosene tanker.
(AP, Reuters, dpa)
THE COMPLETE STORY: RFE/RL's complete coverage of events in Iraq and that country's ongoing transition.
The authenticity of the statement could not be immediately confirmed.
The blast today occurred in Al-Sadr City, a sprawling Shi'ite slum, which is home to more than 2 million
people and is a stronghold of the Al-Mahdi Army.
Jamaat Jund al-Sahaba has claimed responsibility for earlier attacks against Shi'a.
Police spokesman Colonel Sa'd Abd al-Sada said the bomb was hidden in a small barrel near a kerosene tanker where scores of people were waiting to purchase fuel. He said that when the bomb went off, it exploded the kerosene tanker.
(AP, Reuters, dpa)
Iraq In Transition
Iraq In Transition
THE COMPLETE STORY: RFE/RL's complete coverage of events in Iraq and that country's ongoing transition.
