Category: Iraq

Militants in Iraq targeted Christians in two separate bomb attacks in Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 22 people, officials said. In one attack, a car bomb went off near a church during Christmas Mass in the capital’s southern Dora neighborhood, killing at least 15 people and wounding more than 30, a police officer said. A little bit earlier, a bomb ripped through an outdoor market in the nearby Christian section of Athorien, killing seven people and wounding 16, the officer added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but Iraq’s dwindling Christian community, which is estimated to number about 400,000 to 600,000 people, has often been targeted by al-Qaida and other insurgents who see the Christians as unbelievers. Along with Christians, other targets include civilians in restaurants, cafes or crowded public areas, as well as Shiites and also members of […]

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At least 15 Iraqi military officers were killed in an ambush on Saturday in western Iraq’s Sunni Muslim-dominated province of Anbar, military sources said. Several top-ranking officers were among those killed in the attack, the sources said. (Reporting by Kamal Namaa, writing by Suadad al-Salhy; Editing by Alison Williams)

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Authorities in Iraq say a double bombing at a sheep market in a town north of the capital, Baghdad, has killed six people. Police officials say the Friday morning attack took place when two bombs exploded at the sheep market in Tuz Khormato, about 200 kilometers (130 miles) north of Baghdad. At least 10 people were also wounded in the attack. A hospital official confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. Violence has been on the rise in Iraq since a deadly security crackdown on a Sunni protest camp in a northern town in April. At least 352 people have died in attacks across the country so far this month, according to an Associated Press count. © 2013 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, […]

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Shiite Muslims making one of their most important pilgrimages in Iraq were targeted again on Wednesday by gunmen and suicide bombers, medical and police officials said. Gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Pakistani Shiites traveling from Samarra to Baghdad, killing three people and wounding 11, officials said. In Diyala Province in northern Iraq, a policeman guarding Shiite pilgrims noticed a person he suspected was a suicide bomber trying to infiltrate the crowd, medical and security officials said. When the officer grabbed hold of him, the attacker detonated his explosives, killing the officer and four other people. Many Shiites from Iraq and other countries are making their annual pilgrimage to the city of Karbala for Arbaeen, which marks the 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. The pilgrims typically travel by foot or vehicles over long distances to reach shrines in Karbala […]

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Bombings in and near Baghdad killed 10 Shiite pilgrims on Tuesday as they were making their way on foot to a holy city in southern Iraq, officials said. In the deadlier of the two attacks, a suicide bomber set off his explosive belt among a group of pilgrims south of Baghdad, near the town of Mahmoudiya. That attack killed six people and wounded 16, police officials said. The pilgrims were headed to the city of Karbala, 90 kilometers (55 miles) to the south, to commemorate Arbaeen, the end of 40 days of mourning following the anniversary of the death of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein, a revered Shiite figure. About two hours earlier, a bomb blast struck another group of Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad, also on their way to Karbala. That bombing, in the southeastern neighborhood of New Baghdad, killed four people and wounded 11, the police […]

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More than 70 people were killed in a string of attacks across Iraq on Monday, including 37 Shiites preparing for an annual pilgrimage, among them a group who were pulled out of a bus and shot dead on the roadside, the police said. The violence followed 19 killings over the weekend, putting December on track to become one of the bloodiest months in the country in five years. On Monday, 12 Shiite pilgrims heading to Baghdad from the northern city of Mosul were taken out of their bus and killed, the police said. The pilgrims were on their way to the capital to begin a procession on foot to the city of Karbala for Arbaeen, an annual commemoration of the 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. In southern Baghdad, two car bombs targeting the pilgrims killed 25 Shiites and wounded 50 […]

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IOCs happy with Nassiriya terms Oil companies appear to be optimistic that the model contract for a major oil field and refinery project in Nassiriya could represent an investor-friendly shift for Iraq’s Oil Ministry.In contrast to the ministry’s first four bidding rounds, the new joint project – to develop the Nassiriya oil field and a nearby refinery – has attracted praise from some of the companies that have been pre-qualified for the bidding, now scheduled for Jan. 23."They made a serious step forward," said a …

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