Sadr City blast premature detonation, say officials

Nine people were killed and 20 wounded when a bomb exploded in the sprawling Baghdad district of Sadr City, Iraqi officials said today. The blast ripped through a popular cafe near the entrance to Sadr City late Wednesday, killing young men drinking tea and playing backgammon. Police initially said it was a car bomb, but a police officer in Sadr City said it appears to have been an accident because three suspected militants were inside the car when it exploded. The neighbourhood is a stronghold of anti-American cleric Muqtada al Sadr and the scene of blasts in April that killed 72 people.

The number of Iraqis killed in violence in April fell slightly month on month but was almost unchanged from 12 months ago - 328 people died as a result of attacks last month. * With agencies