3 die in bombing of Baghdad liquor store

April 14, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

BAGHDAD

Militants planted a bomb in an eastern Baghdad liquor store Tuesday, killing the Christian owner and two others, while a TV reporter had his legs blown off by a bomb attached to his car in scattered violence across the city.

The political coalition led by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, meanwhile, delayed a press conference in which it was expected to announce an alliance with a rival Shiite bloc, showing that wrangling continues over forming a new government.

There has been an uptick of violence in Iraq in the wake of the March 7 elections, which left no clear winner across Iraq’s fractured political landscape.

Tuesday’s bombings, however, did not necessarily appear to be linked to the political maneuvering, and involved attacks on liquor stores, probably by religious extremists, and the targeting of journalists — both of which have become frequent occurrences over the last several years.

At noon in the neighborhood of Zayouna, attackers posing as customers left behind a black plastic bag filled with explosives. Three people died, seven were wounded, and nearby stores were damaged.

An hour earlier, a sticky bomb attached to the car of Iraqi TV reporter Omar Ibrahim Rasheed exploded and blew his legs off, said Dr. Hazim Ajrawi, director of al-Yarmouk hospital in western Baghdad.

“We are doing our best to keep him alive,” Ajrawi said, adding that the reporter, who works for the small independent al-Rasheed TV, was in critical condition. Journalists are often targeted by insurgents or just factions who disagree with their reporting.