Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

    BAGHDAD, April 8 (Xinhua) -- A suicide car bomb struck a popular market in a southern Baghdad district on Sunday, killing five people and wounding 20 others, an Interior Ministry source said.

    "A suicide bomber blew up an explosive-laden car near a popular market in the Eilam district detonated around midday, killing five people and wounding 20 others," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

    Earlier, the source said rockets struck a residential building in Mahmoudiyah town, some 30 km south of Baghdad, killing 15 people and wounding up to 30 others.

    First police reports put the toll at 15 killed and 25 wounded. The rockets badly damaged a residential building and destroyed nearby shops he said, adding that women and children were among the victims.

    U.S. and Iraqi security forces rushed to the area, while ambulances continue evacuating the victims.