Car bomb in Iraq's Kerbala causes many casualties

KERBALA, Iraq, May 7 (Reuters) A car bomb today caused many casualties near the central bus station in the Iraqi city of Kerbala police said.

The city, 110 km south of Baghdad, is home to two of Shi'ite Islam's holiest shrines and has been targeted in the past by insurgent bombings.

Two car bombs went off in Baghdad around the same time, police said. One targeted an Iraqi army patrol, killing three people and wounding 10. Soldiers and civilians were among the casualties in the mainly Sunni Aadhamiya district.

A second bomb, also in the north of the city, killed one civilian and wounded five. It was not clear what was the target of the blast at a major traffic intersection. A major Sunni mosque and a government newspaper office are in the neighbourhood.

REUTERS SY HT1150