Twin car bombs kill 56 in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Two car bombs exploded in an outdoor market in Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 56 people and injuring scores in the deadliest attack since U.S. and Iraqi forces began a major security push around the capital last week.\nThe twin blasts – which tore through the open-air market in the mostly Shiite district of New Baghdad – marked the first major response by militants to the sweep launched last week and a sobering reminder of the huge challenges facing any efforts against the well-armed factions.\nThe death toll was reported by police and ambulance service officials on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media. At least 127 people were injured, they reported.\nThe explosions toppled wooden vendors’ stalls and utility poles, and blood pooled in the debris. Victims were carried into hospitals on makeshift stretchers or in the arms of rescuers.\nA separate car bomb in the mostly Shiite area of Sadr City killed at least one person and injured 10, police said.\nThe U.S. military reported the deaths of two American soldiers, one of them in Baghdad who was killed when an insurgent hurled a grenade at his vehicle. The other soldier died when a patrol came under fire north of Baghdad, the statement said. Both died Saturday.\nIraq reopened border crossings with Iran after a three-day closure that coincided with the launch of the security push.\nThe key Shalamcha border point, about 35 miles east of the southern city of Basra, was cleared of blockades along with others along the long frontier with Iran, said the director of border operations, Brig. Gen. Rahdi Karim al-Makiki. The United States and allies claim Iraqi militants receive aid and supplies from Iran, including parts for lethal roadside bombs targeting U.S. forces. Iran denies any role in trafficking weapons.\nThe Iranian and Syrian borders were closed as the security operation got under way in Baghdad. A spokesman for the plan, Brig. Gen. Qassim Moussawi was quoted in the Azzaman newspaper that the borders would be reopened gradually but remain under “intense observations.”\nIn Tehran, Syrian President Bashar Assad held talks with Iranian leaders, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Though allies, they are generally on opposing sides of Iraq’s sectarian divide: Iran backing the majority Shiites and Syria seen as a key supporter of Sunnis.\nBut Iran denied that radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has crossed over from Iraq.