At Least 50 Killed in Latest Iraq Bombings

Shi'ites Targeted in Strikes Similar to Friday's

Last Updated 8/10 7:30 PM EST

At least 50 civilians have been killed and over 250 wounded in a series of bombings across Iraq which were eerily similar to bombings on Friday which killed 46. Once again, the seemingly coordinated strikes targeted Shi’ite neighborhoods, and included several smaller bombings in Baghdad and one major one near Mosul.

In the village of Khazna just east of Mosul a pair of truck bombs exploded simultaneously near one another, killing at least 28 and wounding some 138 others. Khazna is the home of the Shabak minority of Iraq, a small group with a Shi’ite style faith.

Nine additional bombings were reported in Baghdad, principally in Shi’ite neighborhoods, though a bombing in the Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah targeted a member of one of the US-backed paramilitary groups. This likely means the Awakening Council but at this point the identity of the man hasn’t been revealed.

Iraqi officials have recently expressed concern that the attacks on Shi’ite targets mean a renewed campaign by al-Qaeda in Iraq, a group which had been relatively quiet since 2006. The attacks in and around Mosul may be an attempt to play on rising tensions between the Kurdish and Arab populations of the area.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.