Violence On the Rise Again in Iraq
truthout - NewsWire
A lull in violence during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in Iraq was shattered by a series of bombings targeting both Shi'ite and Sunni areas across the country. Eighteen people were killed and at least 58 others were wounded in the blasts.
A rash of bombings in Iraq suggests that violence is once again on the rise. (Photo: Wikicommons)
Two bombs were detonated in the Sunni area of Ghazaliya, a neighborhood in Baghdad. The first bomb targeted a passing Iraqi army patrol and left one person injured. Minutes later, a second bomb attached to a motorcycle was directed at people gathered around the wreckage of the previous explosion. Three people were killed and 28 more were wounded. Among the casualties was the chief of the Iraqi regiment responsible for patrolling the neighborhood.
Thirty minutes later, a bomb attached to a minibus in the largely Shi'ite Qadisiya Province exploded, killing three people and wounding four others. It is believed the bomb was attached to the bus as it traveled from Hilla, in the Babil Province, to Diwaniya, the capitol of Qadisiya. Fifteen policemen who were manning the checkpoints the bus passed through have been arrested in connection with the investigation.
One hour after the Qasidiya explosion, a suicide bomber detonated a water tank filled with explosives at a checkpoint outside a police station in the desert west of Ramadi. Seven policemen were killed and 17 others were injured.
In Diyala Province north of Baghdad, a roadside bomb exploded Monday morning, killing two civilians and wounding a third. Another roadside bomb killed three policemen and wounded four others.