October 27, 2012 - 13:46 AMT
Attacks kill at least 15 during Iraq fest

A wave of attacks that came as Muslims marked the second day of Eid al-Adha, a major festival, claimed at least 15 lives in the Baghdad area and in the northern Sunni city of Mosul, police officials said Saturday, Oct 27, according to CNN.

At least five Shiite pilgrims were killed when a roadside bomb in Taji, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad, struck a minibus carrying them to visit Al-Askariya, or the "Golden Mosque."

A dozen more were wounded in the blast. Police said most of those killed and injured were Iranian pilgrims.

A roadside bomb also exploded in an outdoor market in al-Mamel Shiite neighborhood in northeastern Baghdad, killing five people and wounding 13 others, police officials said.

In Mosul, about 380 kilometers north of Baghdad, five people were killed and seven more wounded in four separate attacks in different locations in and around the city, according to police officials.

Most of those affected were from minority Shabak sect. The attacks including two shootings and two explosions targeting houses and shops related to the sect.

Baghdad's Shiite-dominated government has blamed the recent attacks on Sunni insurgents with ties to militant network al Qaeda.

Last month, 365 people, including police and soldiers, were killed, making it the deadliest month since August 2010.