12 people wounded in bomb explosion in south Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 people were wounded in a bomb explosion at a busy marketplace in a town in south of Baghdad on Wednesday, a well-informed police source said.

The blast took place in the morning at a popular market in the town of Iskandriyah, some 40 km south of Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The blast also damaged several nearby shops and buildings and destroyed many surrounding stalls at the crowded marketplace, the source said.

Iskandriyah is part of the once restive area, dubbed Triangle of Death, which is a cluster of towns scattered north of Hilla City, the capital of Babel province, some 100 km south of Baghdad.

Sporadic attacks continue in Iraq as part of recent deterioration in security which shaped a setback to the efforts of the Iraqi government to restore normalcy in the country after more than three months of U.S. troops pullout of cities and towns.