A car bomb ripped through a funeral tent in a mainly Shia area of Baghdad today, killing at least 41 people.
It was followed by scuffles between police and Iraqis angry about security failures.
The car that exploded been parked with the vehicles of other mourners, several yards away from the funeral tent, so it wouldn’t raise suspicion, police said. Several other cars were set ablaze and nearby houses were damaged.
At least 41 people were killed and 75 wounded, according to police and hospital officials.
Young men furious over the lack of security began pelting Iraqi security forces at the scene with stones.
Anger was still high three hours later, and Iraqi troops fired in the air to disperse a crowd of residents gathering for a demonstration against the failure to prevent the bombings. Iraqi helicopters buzzed overhead.
Three other Iraqis were killed in sporadic bombings targeting Iraqi troops and an electricity official earlier.
The blast and three other small bombings today were the latest in more than a week of attacks that have killed more than 200 people, raising fears about a rise in violence as the US military prepares to withdraw from the country.
The violence has mainly targeted the majority Shia community and Iraqi security forces, posing a major challenge to prime minister Nouri al-Maliki and his fragile coalition government that took office last month.
AP