Series of attacks kills at least 36 in Iraq
September 19, 2014 01:55
A series of bomb and mortar shell attacks in and around Baghdad killed at least 36 people, Iraqi officials said today, in an assault that underscored the threat posed to the Iraqi capital by marauding Islamic militants that have seized large parts of the country.
At least 15 people alone were killed in an apparently coordinated assault the northern Shiite district of Khazimiyah, according to police.
A suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into a security checkpoint there late in the evening. Minutes later, three mortar shells landed in different parts of the district, hitting houses and a bus station.
Police said 31 were wounded in the attacks on Khazimiyah, which is a major pilgrimage site that contains the shrine of two revered Shiite Imams.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for those attacks or a series of other explosions that rattled the capital area, but car bombs and attacks against Shiite civilians are common tactics used by Islamic State militants.
The extremist group, which considers Shiites heretics, has captured large chunks of territory in western and northern Iraq, plunging the country into its worst crisis since US troops left at the end of 2011.
US warplanes have been carrying out airstrikes against the group as Iraqi and Kurdish security forces work to retake territory it has seized.
TOP STORIES
© 2024 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances