Iraq bombings target school
October 6, 2013
Separate attacks claimed the lives of at least 24 people in Iraq on Sunday and left over 60 people wounded, according to officials.
A suicide bomber attacked a group of Shiite pilgrims walking to a shrine in northern Baghdad. Police said at least nine people died in the blast and at least 23 more sustained injuries.
In the village of Qabak, which lies just over 70 kilometers (44 miles) northwest of the city of Mosul, an attack targeting a primary school left roughly a dozen people dead. A suicide bomber reportedly detonated an explosives-laden truck near the building, killing at least 10 children and two police officers. Some 44 people were injured in the blast. Local officials said the explosion caused part of the school's roof to collapse.
The violence came one day after a series of sectarian attacks claimed the lives of over 60 people. Shiite pilgrims and journalists were among the casualties.
The latest wave of attacks by the Sunni Arab minority on Shiites has raised fears that Iraq could see violence return to levels not seen since 2006-2007, when tens of thousands of people lost their lives.
Nearly 1,000 people have been killed in Iraq in September of this year alone.
kms/ccp (AP, AFP)