40 killed in twin bombing north of Baghdad as Iraqis await final election results

40 killed in blasts as Iraq awaits election tally

BAGHDAD — The top official for the United Nations in Iraq says the UN has determined Iraq’s March 7 parliamentary elections were credible and called on all sides to accept the results.

The comments by Ad Melkert came at a news conference Friday evening to announce the full election results, and hours after a twin bombing near a restaurant in a city north of Baghdad killed at least 40 people.

The police spokesman for Diyala province, Capt. Ghalib al-Karkhi, said dozens more were also injured in the blasts in the town of Khalis, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of the capital.

The bombing raises concerns that violence could spike as a period of extended political negotiations ensue and political blocs try to form a government as U.S. troops draw down.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi police say a twin bombing near a restaurant in a city north of Baghdad has killed at least 40 people.

The police spokesman for Diyala province, Capt. Ghalib al-Karkhi, said dozens more were also injured in the blasts in the town of Khalis, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of the capital.

Another police official, Salah Mohammed, said one of the explosions was a car bomb and the other a suicide bomber.

The blasts come as Iraqis await the final results later Friday from the country’s March 7 parliamentary election. The violence was the worst to hit Iraq since the vote.