Fresh bombs hit Baghdad rush hour

At least three people have been killed in a double bomb attack in Baghdad, Iraqi police say.

The two bombs exploded in quick succession in mainly Shia eastern Baghdad during the morning rush hour.

The target appeared to be newspaper distribution; the first blast hit a delivery lorry and the second a row of vendors waiting to collect newspapers.

On Monday, nearly 30 people were killed in a multiple bombing in another nearby Shia district of the capital, Kisra.

It was the deadliest attack in Baghdad for months – a suicide bomber struck people trying to help schoolgirls trapped in a bus hit moments earlier by a roadside bomb.

Tuesday’s attacks happened in Palestine Street, one of the major thoroughfares in eastern Baghdad.

Correspondents say violence in Baghdad has dropped sharply since the worst of the Sunni-Shia fighting in 2006 and 2007.

However, recent weeks have seen a return of smaller bombings that have hit during rush hour which has undermined public confidence around the city.

The bombers struck as Iraq’s cabinet met behind closed doors to discuss a controversial military accord governing the presence of US troops in Iraq beyond 2008.

The US and Iraq are attempting to frame the terms of the deal before the expiry of the UN mandate authorising the presence of foreign troops in Iraq on 31 December, but the process has been fraught with disagreements.