On 21 April 2004, a series of large car bomb explosions ripped through

Basra Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is han ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

. Seventy-four people died and more than 100 were injured. The attacks were some of the deadliest in southern Iraq since the fall of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutio ...

The attacks

Three separate bombs exploded outside

police station A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, ...

s 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, one inside the main entrance to the British military outpost and the second just outside the wire fence surround which killed three Iraqis and wounded five

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

soldiers of the 1st Battalion, the

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designate ...

, one seriously. British forces trying to aid casualties were stoned by crowds and came under fire from Iraqi snipers, while trying to recover the wounded. The crowds blamed the coalition for not doing enough to protect Iraqi citizens from such attacks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basra, 2004 2004 murders in Iraq Explosions in 2004 21st-century mass murder in Iraq History of Basra Mass murder in 2004 Car and truck bombings in Iraq Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2004 April 2004 events in Iraq Attacks on police stations in the 2000s Building bombings in Iraq