2 blasts in Baghdad, no word of casualties

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Two explosions on Tuesday ripped through central Baghdad near the heavily fortified green zone but no casualties were reported, according to eyewitnesses in the Iraqi capital. “One of the blasts occurred near a parking lot close to the green zone while the other took place in al-Allawi, both in central Baghdad,” local residents told IraqiNews.com. Baghdad is the capital of Iraq and Baghdad province. With a municipal population estimated at 7,000,000, it is the largest city in Iraq. It is the second largest city in the Arab world (after Cairo) and the second largest city in southwest Asia (after Tehran). Located on the Tigris River, the city dates back to at least the 8 th century, and probably to pre-Islamic times. Once the center of Dar al-Islam (the abode of Islam), Baghdad has been a center of violent conflict since 2003 because of the ongoing Iraq war. Baghdad’s population is a mix of Sunnis and Shiites. It is mainly divided into two sides: the west (al-Karkh) and the east (al-Rasafa). AmR (P) 1