The deadliest blast struck the market in the Shiite-dominated Zafaraniya neighborhood, killing two people and wounding six others, a police official said. The second bomb, which targeted a police patrol in the same neighborhood, killed one civilian and wounded three more.
A doctor in the hospital that received the bodies confirmed the deaths.
Also on Tuesday, around 200 people in Baghdad and 150 in the northern city of Kirkuk staged rallies to protest a lack public services, rampant corruption and a scarcity of government jobs. The protests follow a similar rally a day earlier in Baghdad.
The recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt have spurred Iraqis to stage several small-scale protests recently to demand better basic services. While the demonstrations are small, they are nonetheless embarrassing for Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki and highlight the challenges facing his fragile government.
On Tuesday, Al-Maliki appealed for time to meet the people’s demands.
“These problems cannot be solved immediately,” he said. “But we are now on solid ground and need a bit of time.”
Despite sitting on some of the world’s largest oil reserves, Iraqis endure shortages in electricity, drinking water and garbage is often left on the streets. Iraqis also are infuriated by the high salaries earned by their elected officials, compared with ordinary Iraqis.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Al-Maliki said the prime minister will visit neighboring Kuwait on Wednesday.
Ali Al-Mousawi wouldn’t give more details on the visit agenda, but the two countries seek to repair relations damaged by Saddam Hussein’s 1990 invasion of the oil-rich emirate. The two countries are working to resolve border disputes and debt of billions of dollars that resulted after the 1991 Gulf War.
