Iraq Bombers Kill 41

Sunni insurgents show off deadly power

(NEWSER) - The death toll is climbing in Iraq following this morning's coordinated gun-and-bomb attacks, with the AP putting the number at 84, making it the deadliest day this year. A police spokesman said a suicide bomber detonated himself outside a textile factory south of Baghdad where a crowd was trying to help victims of two earlier car bombs, raising the toll there to at least 45. Gunmen using silenced weapons also killed 7 Iraqi soldiers and policemen at checkpoints in Baghdad, and a roadside bomb in Baghdad killed another 2. More»

Shiites, Muqtada al-Sadr's office targeted

(NEWSER) - Bombs exploded throughout Baghdad today, targeting Shiite mosques and neighborhoods, including the office of anti-US cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. A neighborhood in Anbar province was also hit with six roadside bombs. At least 61 people have been killed and nearly 112 wounded, CNN reports. More»

(NEWSER) - An explosion ripped through a market in Baghdad’s Sadr City today killing 52 and injuring 104, Reuters reports. Though Iraq has seen markedly less violence in the past year, today’s bombing is part of a wave of attacks ahead of the US military’s scheduled withdrawal from Iraqi cities next week. Sadr City is home to supporters of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, though it is patrolled by Iraqi government forces. More»

Pair of attacks are part of recent spate

(NEWSER) - A suicide bombing in Baghdad today killed at least 28 people and wounded 50 as police handed out relief packages, the Guardian reports. At least five children and 13 police officers were killed in the attack, police said. Meanwhile, an attack in northeast Iraq killed 45, the BBC reports. Attacks have surged in recent weeks, the AP notes; a US defense official said he expected attacks to increase as American troops leave the country. More»

US records first combat death in weeks

(NEWSER) - Six car bombs exploded across Baghdad today, killing at least 34 and injuring scores more, Reuters reports. Four early blasts occurred within two hours, with the last two hitting within just minutes of each other. One of those, an attack on Sadr City, wounded 65 and killed at least 10, including three women and four children. Two more explosions later rocked a market, killing at least 12. More»