Iraq Watch: July 27, 2006

Bombs Rip Through Wealthy Baghdad District

Mortars, rockets, and a car bomb were all used as part of a coordinated insurgent attack Thursday in the capital's upscale Karradah area.

Over 30 were killed and 150 wounded in the early-morning rebel onslaught. A statement issued by a faction of the Mujahideen Shura Council claimed responsibility for the attack.

Karradah, a predominately-Shiite enclave located in central Baghdad, is home to numerous Iraqi statesmen and one of the blasts detonated only yards from the home of Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi.

Another blast severely damaged a multi-story apartment building, trapping residents inside.

Meanwhile, authorities discovered 19 corpses littered across Baghdad Thursday. Many of the bodies bore signs of torture.

In other violence, an Iraqi soldier was killed by militants in Kirkuk while a roadside bombing near Tikrit left two Iraqi policemen dead.

Also Thursday, a Salvadoran soldier was killed by an IED near the southern town of Diwaniya. Thursday's death brings the total number of Salvadorian troops killed in Iraq to four.