IED hits joint checkpoint in Baghdad

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: An improvised explosive device (IED) on Thursday went off near a joint checkpoint in a downtown Baghdad area, according to eyewitnesses. “The device exploded at al-Karada intersection, downtown Baghdad, near a checkpoint set up by police and army personnel,” an eyewitness told Iraqi News. Plumes of smoke were seen in the sky after the explosion, the eyewitness noted. There has been no word on casualties. The blast comes less than half an hour after two IEDs went off in a popular market in al-Mahmoudiya area, southern Baghdad, killing two civilians and injuring 10 others. SS (P)/SR 1