At least 40 Iraqis killed in blasts in Baghdad

At least 40 people were killed in a series of explosions Thursday in two Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad in some of the worst violence to hit the capital in months.

Early Thursday evening, three bombs exploded outside a Shiite mosque, near outdoor stalls at a market in the Shurta neighborhood of southwest Baghdad. At least 34 people were killed and another 82 people were wounded, police said.

“I was drinking juice from a shop together with some of my friends when the first explosion happened,” said Ahmed Dandar, 25, who suffered injuries to his arm and shoulders. “It was near a mosque as worshippers were entering. We saw a ball of fire and people started to run.”

A few hours later, six people were killed and 16 wounded when a car bomb exploded near a market in southeast Baghdad, in the Shiite neighborhood of Abu Disheer. Both Shurta and Abu Disheer saw violence during the country’s sectarian war.

ned.parker@latimes.com

Salman is a Times staff writer.