2 blasts leave seven casualties in central Baghdad

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A civilian and a Sahwa fighter were killed and five others, including three Sahwa fighters, were wounded on Thursday in two explosions in central Baghdad , a police source said. “Two roadside bombs went off simultaneously targeting Sahwa fighters in Sheikh Omar region in central Baghdad, killing a civilian and one fighter and injuring five, including three Sahwa fighters,” the source told IraqiNews.com. “The explosions caused material damage to a number of nearby commercial stores and vehicles,” he noted. Six civilians were wounded earlier in a bomb blast in Sadr City in eastern Baghdad . The Sahwa councils were set up in a number of Iraqi provinces such as al-Anbar, Diala, Ninewa, and Salah al-Din with the aim of bolstering political and local tribal powers to fight armed groups, particularly al-Qaeda network, in those areas. These councils are usually led by tribal chiefs or notables in the provinces. SH (P) 1