Death toll in Iraq bombings wave reaches 83

PanARMENIAN.Net - A wave of bombings across Iraq - including 10 locations in Baghdad - has killed 83 people and wounded nearly 300, Iraqi police say, according to BBC News.

Many of the dead in the Iraqi capital were Shia pilgrims gathering for a religious festival. In Hilla, two car bombs exploded near a restaurant, killing at least 21 people.

There has been a wave of attacks on the Shia community in recent days, as it marks the anniversary of the death of Shia imam Moussa al-Kadhim.

The first car bomb struck a procession of pilgrims in the town of Taji, north of Baghdad, as they made their way to a shrine.

There was then a series of four further blasts across the capital.

Three bombs exploded in Kirkuk, with one of them targeting the headquarters of Kurdish President Massoud Barzani. One person died and many were injured in that attack.

There are also reports of bombs in Mosul, Balad, and Karbala.

Violence in Iraq has fallen since the sectarian killings of a few years ago, but militants still frequently attack security forces and civilians.

Wednesday June 13 has been one of the deadliest days of violence since US troops withdrew from Iraq last December. It is not yet clear who is responsible.