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Iraq
Sixteen die in bomb attacks
Article published on the 2008-10-02 Latest update 2008-10-02 09:00 TU
A US soldier stands guard during Eid al-Fitr celebrations in southern Baghdad
(Photo: Reuters)
Two suicide bombings in Iraq left 16 people dead on Thursday, while another six people were killed in an ambush north of the capital. The bombings took place close to Shia-Muslim mosques in the capital where worshippers had gathered to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
A suicide bomber blew himself up in Jadida, in southern Baghdad, killing 12 people and wounding 30.
In the nearby neighbourhood of Zafaraniyah, a second bomber crashed a car filled with explosives into an Iraqi armoured vehicle at a checkpoint near a mosque.
The second attack killed four and wounded ten worpshippers.
Six people were also killed when gunmen opened fire at a minibus near the city of
The latest wave of attacks came as the majority of Shia in
On Wednesday, four people were killed and 15 wounded in a car bomb attack at a mosque in Balad, north of Although US and Iraqi officials claim that violence is down in the country, attacks have increased over the past few months - in September alone, 440 Iraqis were killed in insurgent violence. The death toll for August was 430. The US commmander for Baghdad, Major General Jeffery Hammond, said last week that the first 21 days of Ramadan were the most peaceful for three years.
