BAGHDAD - AT least 54 people were killed and 123 wounded in a double bomb attack in a crowded commercial district in central Baghdad late on Thursday, security officials said.

The twin attack, comprising a roadside bombing followed by a suicide attack, ripped through Al-Atar Street in central Baghdad's Karada neighbourhood, one official said.

'First a roadside bomb went off and as people and police gathered to rescue the victims, a suicide bomber blew himself up amid the crowd,' he said.

The US military said the attack took place at around 7.00 pm (3am Singapore time).

'Iraqi security forces and emergency responders were first on the scene.

Coalition forces arrived after and are coordinating with them on how many Iraqi citizens were killed and wounded in the attack,' the military said in a statement.

'This terrorist attack was a senseless act of violence directed against the Iraqi people,' said US chief of staff Colonel Allen Batschelet.

The bomings come after Iraq witnessed a sharp rise in the number of people killed in violence, following a six month period in which the death toll fell.

In February the number of Iraqis killed rose by 33 per cent over the previous month, reversing a six-month trend of fewer casualties, ministerial figures obtained by AFP showed on March 1.

The drop in the violence during the six months to January was attributed to a 'surge' of an extra 30,000 US troops in Iraq, the formation by Sunni leaders of anti-Qaeda fronts, and Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's freezing of the activities of his Mahdi Army militia.

Thursday's bombing is the worst since 100 people were killed in two bombings of Baghdad bird markets on Feb 1 and came as the US military announced a reduction in troops numbers in Iraq.

The military said some 2,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division, deployed in last year's surge, would not be replaced once they leave the country, likely within the next few weeks.

Once the brigade re-deploys, 'the number of US combat brigades in Iraq will drop from 19 to 18, with three additional brigades scheduled to redeploy by July. The unit will not be replaced,' said a statement on the redeployment.

The redeployment 'represents the increased capability and progress being made in Iraq by the Iraqi security forces to provide their own security,' said said Colonel Billy Buckner, a spokesman for US-led forces in Iraq.

The US military currently has 158,000 troops in Iraq. -- AFP

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