Iraqi Officials: Car Bomb Kills 20 In Baghdad

BAGHDAD — A car bomb near a crowded market in Baghdad has killed as many as 20 people.

The attack in a mainly Shiite area is the fifth major one in Iraq this month.

The blast came a day after the U.S. military said overall attacks nationwide had fallen to levels of the early months of the war in 2003.

The car was parked near a bus terminal surrounded by shops in the eastern Shaab district when it blew up today.

Iraqi police and hospital officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to release the information, said the 20 killed included four children and four women. The officials say 35 people also were wounded.

The U.S. military says eight people were killed and 14 were wounded, but conflicting casualty tolls are common in the chaotic aftermath of bombings.