Two separate bomb attacks target Iraqi security forces

Two seperate bomb explosions in Iraq have killed at least 15 people and left dozens injured. The first of the attacks occurred at about 08:00 (05:00 GMT) when a car bomb detonated nearby an eatery frequented by security forces near the central city of Hilla, killing at least 13. The second incident transpired when a bomb attached to a military bus inside a base in Habaniya, west of the capital, killed at least two personnel.

In an unrelated attack, gunmen killed two policemen at a Baghdad checkpoint. These latest episodes follow a number of recent attacks on Iraqi security forces. According to Iraq's defence ministry statistics at least 45 police officers and 39 soldiers were killed during August alone.

It is thought that at least two of the victims in the blast near Hilla, 100km south of the capital, were policemen. According to AP news agency, at least four more officers, out of 40 people, were wounded in the attack.

The second bomb which went off as personnel were being transported within the base detonated at about 08:00 local time. Iraqi officials confirmed that those responsible for the checkpoint incident escaped after killing two policemen and injuring a third.

It is estimated that violence in Iraq has dropped significantly since 2006-2007, but isolated acts of violence remain prevalent. This has caused some concern among Iraqis about the security situation in the country especially after the pending withdrawal of US troops in December.

Sources: BBC News, AP, Reuters

For more news and expert analysis about Iraq, please see Iraq Focus.

Iraq: More than 20 killed in latest twin suicide bombings

More than 20 people have been killed in two car bomb explosions in the capital city of Diwaniya in the Al-Qadsiyah province. The bombings transpired outside the provincial governor Salim Hussein Alwan's residence. Dozens of people, including policemen, were reinjured in the blasts.

Diwaniya, 130km south of the capital city of Baghdad, is a predominantly Shi'a region and a hotbed for several of Iraq's militant groups.

Speaking to Xinhua news agency, an unnamed provincial official said: "The latest reports said that 25 people were killed and some 34 others were wounded by the double car bomb blasts outside the house of al-Qadsiyah governor…Most of the victims were security guards who were gathering at the site and some other victims were residents inside the neighbouring houses." The source addeded that, "Alwan himself escaped the attack unharmed".

Last week, armed militants and suicide bombers stormed a provincial council building in the city of Baquba, killing at least eight people. Violence in Iraq has deteriorated significantly in the last couple of years but isolated incidents are frequent and underline the challenges facing Iraq's government.

Sources: BBC News, Los Angeles Times, Xinhua

For more news and expert analysis about Iraq, please see Iraq Focus.

Iraq: Bomb blasts leave 16 dead

A series of bomb explosions in and around Baghdad killed 16 people on Sunday 22nd May, including 10 people who died when a suicide bomber blew himself up amid a crowd of police officers.

It is estimated that at least 14 bombs detonated in and around the capital during the morning rush hour. The worst of the attacks was recorded in the city of Taji, 20km north of Baghdad, where a suicide bomber killed 10 people.

A bomb hidden in a pile of rubbish, in Sadr City, killed one person and injured five others. Minutes later another roadside bomb, this time targeting a police patrol, exploded, injuring three policemen and four bystanders.

In the southwestern neighborhood of Bayaa, five explosions went off in rapid succession. First a roadside bomb targeting a police patrol, then a minute later another roadside bomb went off in a commercial street followed by two roadside bombs along the highway.

A parked-car bomb went off on a road that marks the intersection between Bayaa and the adjoining neighborhood. In total, five people were killed, including two policemen, and 15 people were injured, including six policemen.

Bloodshed in Iraq has subsided since the height of the insurgency five years ago, but almost daily attacks on both civilians and law officers continue.

Sources: BBC News, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times

For more news and expert analysis about Iraq, please see Iraq Focus.

Iraq: Two bomb explosions hit the holy city of Karbala

Iraq's Interior Ministry has said that two car bombs have exploded in the holly city of Karbala killing more than 18 Shi'a pilgrims in the city for Arbaeen, a religious observance and one of the holiest days in the Shi's calendar. It is estimated that at least 55 people were injured in the explosions.

The first bomb exploded in the morning while the pilgrims were disembarking from buses in the holy city, south of Baghdad. It was reported that six people had been killed in the first blast and 34 injured. The second bomb, which exploded several hours later, killed 10 pilgrims and two soldiers, and injured 21. The third explosive device was detected and defused.

All vehicles are banned from going into the city centre as pilgrims continue gathering for their ritual marking of the end of a 40-day mourning period for Shi'a Muslims' most beloved saint Imam Hussein, whose death in battle near Karbala cemented the historic Sunni-Shi'a split.

Around 30,000 Iraqi security forces have been deployed to the city to bolster security for the ritual, which culminates on Tuesday 25th January. No singular group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack, but it is believed to be the work of extremists linked with the Al-Qa'ida or Sunni militants. The Karbala explosions come four days after multiple bombings that left 50 people dead and 150 wounded, most of them Shi'a Muslims.

Sources: CNN, Xinhua, The Guardian, Al-Bawaba

For more news and expert analysis about Iraq, please see Iraq Focus.