Shiites targeted in Iraq suicide attacks

PanARMENIAN.Net - A suicide attack and a car bombing have killed at least 19 people and wounded 38 in separate attacks targeting Shiites north of Baghdad, Belfast Telegraph reported.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, the latest in an increasing wave of violence across the country.

Iraq has been facing its deadliest outburst of violence since 2008, with more than 2,000 people killed since the start of April.

The bloodshed appears to be largely the work of resurgent Sunni militants such as al Qaida's Iraq branch, feeding off Sunni discontent with the Shiite-led government.

The deadliest attack on Friday took place in Baghdad's Kiraiyat district as worshippers gathered after the evening call to prayers at the Hussienieh Ali Basha mosque. A suicide bomber walked in during the service and detonated his explosives, killing 15 worshippers and wounding 32, a police officer and a medical official said.

Earlier, an explosives-laden vehicle detonated near a Shiite protest camp in the city of Samarra, a police officer said.