1ST UPDATE / Basra explosion leaves 20 killed, wounded

BASRA / IraqiNews.com: An explosion in Basra on Saturday left 20 people killed or wounded as received by the Basra Public Hospital, according to a hospital medic. “The Basra Public Hospital received 20 persons killed and wounded in an explosion whose type is not identified yet,” the medic told IraqiNews.com news agency. He did not elaborate on the number of deaths or the number of wounded persons. Earlier, a security source said three improvised explosive devices went off in unison in central Basra province, leaving an unidentified number of casualties. “Three IEDs ripped through al-Ashar souk (outdoor market), near the Abdullah bin Ali Tomb in central Basra, leaving a number of people killed or wounded,” the source had told IraqiNews.com. The oil-rich port city of Basra lies 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. AmR (P) 3