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Bombings kill Shias in Iraq cities of Hilla and Karbala | |
(35 minutes later) | |
At least 16 people have been killed in a double bombing in the predominantly Shia Muslim city of Hilla, south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, officials say. | At least 16 people have been killed in a double bombing in the predominantly Shia Muslim city of Hilla, south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, officials say. |
Reports say a car bomb also exploded in the nearby shrine city of Karbala, killing at least five people. | |
No group has said it carried out the attacks but Sunni militants have targeted the Shia majority in the past. | No group has said it carried out the attacks but Sunni militants have targeted the Shia majority in the past. |
Pilgrims flock to Karbala each year for Ashura commemorations, the climax of the holy month of Muharram. | Pilgrims flock to Karbala each year for Ashura commemorations, the climax of the holy month of Muharram. |
Initial reports said the two bombs in Hilla exploded near a restaurant. Police and hospital officials said scores of people were injured. | Initial reports said the two bombs in Hilla exploded near a restaurant. Police and hospital officials said scores of people were injured. |
In Karbala, a parked car exploded near one of the city gates, a police officer quoted by AP news agency said. | |
Those who died were civilians but policemen were among more than 20 wounded, he added. The blast also damaged nearby buildings. | |
A recent upsurge in such attacks has sparked fears of a return to the sectarian conflict that beset Iraq in the years after the 2003 US-led invasion. | A recent upsurge in such attacks has sparked fears of a return to the sectarian conflict that beset Iraq in the years after the 2003 US-led invasion. |