Iraq

Explosions in two Iraqi cities kill more than 30

Article published on the 2009-08-07 Latest update 2009-08-07 13:49 TU

A Shia-Muslim pilgrim holds candles during a religious ceremony to mark the birth of Imam al-Mehdi.
(Photo : Reuters)

A car bomb has killed at least 30 people and injured 72 at a mosque in the Northern Iraq city of Mosul on Friday while a wave of bomb attacks targeted Shia-Muslim pilgrims in Baghdad. Authorities in Mosul say that the explosives detonated outside the mosque as worshippers walked to an annexe to offer condolences. The mosque is used by members of the Turkmen minority in the mainly Sunni-Muslim city.

The bombing follows an explosion in Mosul on Thursday in which two Christian women were wounded. Mosul, along with Baghdad and Kirkuk, remains a scene of frequent attacks despite a drop in violence over the rest of the country.

In Baghdad, a string of explosions in the city killed four as Shia-Muslims returned from marking a religious ceremony in the city of Karbala.

One roadside bomb at the entrance to Baghdad's Shia district of Sadr City killed three pilgrims on a bus and wounded eight, while another explosion at the edge of the district wounded another five travelling in a minibus. A separate explosion killed one pilgrim and wounded five in the Zayune neighbourhood of central Baghdad.

Shia-Muslims have been commemorating the birth of the Twelfth Imam, revered as a coming Messiah. Roads to and from Karbala have been crowded with pilgrims all week.

The number of violent deaths in Iraq fell from 437 in June to 275 in July.