Bombs in Iraq kill 19 people

June 29, 2013 02:16

Bombs in Iraq targeting a checkpoint run by government-allied Sunni militiamen, a Shiite tribal leader's funeral and a soccer field killed at least 19 people on Friday, in the latest strikes by militants seeking to destabilise the country.

Iraq is in the midst of its deadliest and most sustained wave of violence since 2008, raising fears the nation is returning to the widespread sectarian-charged bloodshed that pushed it to the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007. More than 2,000 people have been killed in bombings and other violent attacks since the start of April.

The deadliest attack, which killed at least 11, struck the militia checkpoint shortly before midday in the village of Zangoura, which is just south of the former insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, some 115 kilometers west of Baghdad, according to police.

The checkpoint was manned by members of the Sahwa, who are Sunni militiamen that joined forces with US troops to fight al-Qaeda during the Iraq War.

One bomb, apparently planted by the side of the road, was the source of the initial blast. A second detonated as villagers rushed to help the victims of the first explosion, police said.

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