21 April 2004 Basra bombings
| 2004 Basra bombings | |
|---|---|
| Location | Basra, Iraq |
| Date | April 21, 2004 |
| Target | Police stations |
Attack type | car bombs |
| Deaths | 74 |
Non-fatal injuries | 100+ |
| ||||||
On April 21, 2004, a series of large car bomb explosions ripped through Basra, Iraq. 74 people died and more than 100 were injured. The attacks were some of the deadliest in southern Iraq since the fall of President Saddam Hussein.
The attacks
Three separate bombs exploded outside police stations in central Basra; two in the Ashar area and one in the Old City. In these bombings, many children on passing buses were killed.
A fourth, separate attack also occurred around the same time in the town of Az Zubayr. In the fourth attack, two car bombs exploded which killed three Iraqis and wounded five British soldiers of the 1st Battalion, the Royal Welch Fusiliers, one seriously. Fusilier Neil Spencer from Newport, South wales was one soldier wounded in the blast, British forces trying to aid casualties were stoned by crowds, who blamed the coalition for not doing enough to protect Iraqi citizens from such attacks.
External links
- Scores killed in Iraqi bombings April 21, 2004 BBC
- 5 Iraqis arrested for Basra bombings April 24, 2004 CBS