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Car Bombs Targeting Iraqi Football Fans Kill 50


Car bomb attacks in Baghdad have killed at least 50 people, many of them celebrating an Iraqi national team victory in the Asia Cup football tournament.

Authorities say more than 130 people were wounded in two separate attacks Wednesday in the Mansour and Ghadeer districts.

A car bomb exploded near a crowd of jubilant Iraqis in Mansour, while a suicide car bomber attacked an army checkpoint in Ghadeer near many fans.

Thousands of people had poured into the streets after the Iraqi team beat South Korea to reach the Asia Cup final in Jakarta.

On the political front, the largest Sunni bloc in Iraq's parliament has suspended its participation in the government and is threatening to withdraw completely.

The Accordance Front Wednesday gave Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki one week to meet its demands to deal with Shi'ite militias and reform the conduct of raids and arrests.

The bloc has been boycotting cabinet meetings since June to protest legal proceedings against Culture Minister Asad Kamal al-Hashimi, who is accused of arranging to have another politician killed.

Last week, the Accordance Front and a group of Shi'ite lawmakers ended a boycott of Iraq's parliament.

Also Wednesday, Baghdad police say at least six people were killed when U.S. and Iraqi forces clashed with Shi'ite militias in the Sadr City neighborhood.

And the U.S. military says it has detained the administrative head of al-Qaida in Iraq's Mosul operations during early morning raids.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

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