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| Iraq blast hits Kirkuk Sunni mosque on Eid al-Adha | Iraq blast hits Kirkuk Sunni mosque on Eid al-Adha |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A bomb blast outside a Sunni mosque in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk has killed nine people, police say. | A bomb blast outside a Sunni mosque in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk has killed nine people, police say. |
| They say the explosion occurred after prayers marking the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. At least 22 people were wounded. | |
| Militants have targeted both Sunni and Shia worshippers in a wave of sectarian violence that has surged across Iraq in recent months. | Militants have targeted both Sunni and Shia worshippers in a wave of sectarian violence that has surged across Iraq in recent months. |
| Almost 6,000 people have been killed so far this year. | Almost 6,000 people have been killed so far this year. |
| Oil-rich Kirkuk - home to a mixture of Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen - is one of Iraq's most bitterly contested areas. | Oil-rich Kirkuk - home to a mixture of Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen - is one of Iraq's most bitterly contested areas. |
| Tuesday's explosion struck worshippers as they were leaving the Qodus mosque after morning prayers. | |
| Eid al-Adha, which marks Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to submit to God, is one of the most important Muslim holidays of the year. | |
| It marks the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca. | |
| This year's rise in sectarian violence began after the army raided a camp set up by Sunni Arab protesters near the northern town of Hawija in April. | |
| They were calling for the resignation of Shia Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, whom they accuse of targeting the minority Sunni community. | |
| The country has also seen a spillover of violence from the conflict in Syria, where jihadist rebels have links with the Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni militant umbrella group. |