A car bomb killed six people in central Baghdad on Monday, police said, the first bombing in the capital since Iraq's soccer win in the Asian Cup brought a brief respite in the war-torn country.

Police said 12 people were also wounded in the blast in Al-Tayran square in Bab al-Shorji district, a mainly Shi'ite area with many wholesale and electronics shops.

Riding the wave of national euphoria that followed Iraq's 1-0 win over favorites Saudi Arabia in the Asian Cup in Jakarta on Sunday, some Iraqis spoke of the victory bringing Iraq's splintered ethnic and religious sects together.

But others knew it was only a matter of time before the bombers returned to the streets.
 
Sectarian violence between majority Shi'ites and minority Sunnis has killed tens of thousands and raised fears of a civil war.

The US military has sent nearly 30,000 more troops to try to stabilize the country and give its leaders time to reconcile the warring groups.

(China Daily via agencies July 31, 2007)