BAGHDAD (AlArabia.net)
Suicide bombers struck two Shiite mosques in Baghdad on Thursday as worshippers marked the Eid al-Fitr prayers, killing 16 people and wounding 40, police said.
Police said a car bomber slammed his explosives-filled car into an Iraqi military armored vehicle at a checkpoint near a mosque in the Zafraniya district. Another suicide bomber blew himself up targeting worshippers leaving a mosque in the eastern Baghdad New Baghdad district. Both are Shiite areas in the east of the capital. The two attacks left 16 people dead and 40 wounded.
Six people were also killed when gunmen opened fire at a minibus near the city of Baquba, the capital of the restive province of Diyala, a security official said.
For most of Iraq's Shiites, Thursday is the main celebration of the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of Ramadan, which Sunni Muslims already began celebrating earlier the week.
Government officials have warned that militants might launch attacks during the holiday, one of the most important in the Muslim calendar.
Violence overall in Iraq is at four-year lows
(Compiled with agencies) |
