A car bomb ripped through a market district today in a mainly Shiite area in southern Iraq, killing at least 28 people and wounding dozens, officials said.
The blast is the latest in a series of high-profile explosions that have raised concerns about a resurgence of violence as the U.S. military faces a June 30 deadline to withdraw from urban areas in Iraq.
The explosives-laden car was parked in the center of the commercial area in the town of Bathaa when it blew up about 9 a.m., according to the officials.
The officials gave the death toll on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information to media. They said at least 45 people were wounded.
The town is near Nasiriya, about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad.
The area has been the site of past violence -- mainly fierce internal fighting between Shiite militia factions before a cease-fire took hold.
Also, a Nov. 12, 2003, bombing struck the military barracks of the Italian forces who were stationed in the area at the time, killing at least 19 Italians.
Dhi Qar province, of which Nasiriya is the administrative capital, was the second province to be transferred from U.S.-led coalition control to the Iraqis in September 2006.
