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19 April 2024

Bombings across Iraq kill at least 41

People gather at the site of car bomb attack in Baghdad, January 15, 2014. Bomb attacks hit the Iraqi capital Baghdad and a village near the northern town of Baquba on Wednesday, killing at least 52 people, police and hospital sources said. (REUTERS)

Published
By AP

A wave of bombings across Iraq striking busy markets and a funeral north of Baghdad killed at least 41 people on Wednesday, authorities said, as the country remains gripped by violence after militants took control of two cities in western Anbar province.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks. Insurgent groups frequently target civilians in cafes and public areas as well as members of Iraqi security forces in an attempt to undermine confidence in the government.

The deadliest attack struck a funeral in the town of Buhriz, about 60 kilometers (35 miles) north of Baghdad. That bombing killed 16 people and wounded 26 inside of a mourning tent, a police officer said.

The funeral was for a militiaman who died of natural causes two days ago. The militia, known as the Awakening Council, was formed by U.S. forces during the height of the insurgency. They are seen as traitors in Iraq.

In Baghdad, a series of bombings killed at least 25 people.

The deadliest attack there took place in the northern Shula neighborhood, where a parked car bomb exploded in an outdoor market, killing five shoppers and wounding 12, a police officer said. A car bombing in the nearby Shaab neighborhood killed four civilians and wounded 14, officials said.

Another car bomb in a commercial area in the central Karrada area killed four civilians and wounded 14, police said. A car bomb in another part of Karrada killed two civilians and wounded 10, authorities said.

In Baghdad's southern suburb of Hussainya, a car bomb killed four civilians and wounded 11 in a market, officials said. In the capital's eastern Palestine Street, a car bomb killed three civilians and wounded 10, authorities said. Another market bombing killed three civilians and wounded eight in the eastern Maamil area, police said.

Medical officials confirmed the causality figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

At least 285 people have died in violence across the country so far this month, according to an Associated Press count.