Two bombs kill at least 8 in Iraq

PanARMENIAN.Net - Two bombs exploded within minutes of each other outside a Shiite cleric's home on Wednesday, June 27, killing at least eight people as insurgents ramp up attacks in what has been a particularly violent month for Iraq, according to the Associated Press.

The attack brings Iraq's death toll for June to at least 183, making it the bloodiest month since January, when at least 255 were killed. That surge in violence was widely seen as an attempt by al-Qaida to undermine the Iraqi government after the last American troops withdrew in mid-December.

The first blast blew out the front wall of the home of a Shiite cleric who was prominent in the southeastern suburb of Wahda, damaging surrounding houses, police and witnesses said.

A police official said the blasts killed eight people, including the cleric's teenage son and daughter, and wounded 19. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. Hospital officials confirmed the deaths.