Market blast shakes Iraqi capital

? A car bomb ripped through a bustling shopping district in a religiously mixed neighborhood of western Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people and wounding about 20 as the U.S.-Iraqi security operation entered its third week.

The midmorning blast in Baiyaa, a Sunni-Shiite neighborhood, sent flames and debris shooting two stories high, witnesses said. The force of the explosion peeled back corrugated tin roofs. Hours later, charred clothing still clung to the remnants of vendors’ stalls.

Hours after the Baiyaa attack, police said guards outside the Bab al-Sheik police station in central Baghdad fired on a suicide truck bomber as he approached them. The bomber changed course and crashed into a cement barrier, detonating his explosives. Two civilians were killed and two policemen and another civilian were wounded in the blast and exchange of gunfire, police said.

While rescue workers swept still-smoldering debris in Baiyaa, U.S. and Iraqi government spokesmen held news conferences across town to praise what they called a dramatic decrease in violence.

Although car bombings and suicide attacks occur daily, Rear Adm. Mark Fox said overall violence had abated. Still, he cautioned more time was needed to secure Baghdad.

“Although we’ve seen some initial progress, we know our enemies will continue to attempt to disrupt our efforts, and that improving security in Iraq will take time,” he told reporters.