Blast rocks Baghdad’s press syndicate

BAGHDAD, Sept. 20 (Iraqi News) – A number of civilians were wounded in an explosive charge attack that ripped through the press syndicate building in northern Baghdad, a source from the syndicate said on Saturday. “Today, an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by unknown men at the entrance of the press syndicate in Baghdad’s northern area of al-Waziriya detonated during a syndicate board meeting, slightly wounding a number of civilians,” the source, who requested anonymity, told IraqiNews.com – Voices of Iraq – (Iraqi News). The explosion caused damage to seven cars belonging to syndicate employees, according to the source. A U.S.-Iraqi force rushed to the scene of the blast and sealed off the area, the source added. 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).   SS (S) 1