Car bomb kills at least 4 in Baghdad book district

BAGHDAD, March 5 (Reuters) A car bomb exploded today in the area of Mutanabi Street, a Baghdad district lined with book shops, killing at least four people and wounding dozens more, a Reuters witness and police said.

''There are many shops set on fire and more than 15 cars were burned out,'' said the witness, who works for Reuters, saying he helped several injured women into a police car that took seven casualties away to hospital. ''They were covered with blood.'' A police source said initial reports indicated at least four people were killed and 38 wounded.

''I'm up on the roof now, there's black smoke everywhere,'' the witness told Reuters by telephone, adding that ambulance sirens were sounding and the street below was in chaos, with pools of blood on the street.

''There was so much smoke that I was vomiting,'' said the witness, who was in a shop on the street where the windows were blown out by the blast.

Iraqi and US forces are in the third week of a major security crackdown in Baghdad aimed at stemming sectarian violence. A big increase in the number of troops on the streets and checkpoints appears to have reduced death squad killings but US commander say car bombs remain a problem.

REUTERS PDM PM1457