72 die in wave of Iraq bombings
Source: Agencies |
January 6, 2012, Friday
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Print Edition
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A WAVE of bombings targeting Shiites in Iraq killed at least 72 people and injured more than 60 others yesterday.
The coordinated attacks bore the hallmarks of Sunni insurgents linked to al-Qaida, although there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
The bombings began early in the morning when explosions struck two Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad, killing at least 27 people.
A few hours later, a suicide attack hit Shiite pilgrims heading to the holy Shiite city of Karbala, killing 45. The explosions took place near Nasiriyah, about 320 kilometers southeast of Baghdad.
The blasts occurred in the run-up to Arbaeen, a Shiite holy day which marks the end of 40 days of mourning that follow the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, a revered Shiite figure. During this time, pilgrims from across Iraq make their way to Karbala, south of Baghdad.
Baghdad military spokesman Major General Qassim al-Moussawi said the aim of the attacks was "to create turmoil among the Iraqi people." He said it was too early to say who was behind the bombings.
The new violence will only exacerbate the country's political crisis pitting politicians from the Shiite majority who dominate the government against the Sunni minority, which reigned supreme under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.
Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government issued an arrest warrant for the country's top Sunni politician last month. Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi is holed up in Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region in the north.
Fears have already been running high that sectarian tensions could re-ignite Shiite-Sunni warfare that just a few years ago pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war.
The coordinated attacks bore the hallmarks of Sunni insurgents linked to al-Qaida, although there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
The bombings began early in the morning when explosions struck two Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad, killing at least 27 people.
A few hours later, a suicide attack hit Shiite pilgrims heading to the holy Shiite city of Karbala, killing 45. The explosions took place near Nasiriyah, about 320 kilometers southeast of Baghdad.
The blasts occurred in the run-up to Arbaeen, a Shiite holy day which marks the end of 40 days of mourning that follow the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, a revered Shiite figure. During this time, pilgrims from across Iraq make their way to Karbala, south of Baghdad.
Baghdad military spokesman Major General Qassim al-Moussawi said the aim of the attacks was "to create turmoil among the Iraqi people." He said it was too early to say who was behind the bombings.
The new violence will only exacerbate the country's political crisis pitting politicians from the Shiite majority who dominate the government against the Sunni minority, which reigned supreme under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.
Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government issued an arrest warrant for the country's top Sunni politician last month. Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi is holed up in Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region in the north.
Fears have already been running high that sectarian tensions could re-ignite Shiite-Sunni warfare that just a few years ago pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war.
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