This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-24563994

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Suicide bomb targets Shia in northern Iraq Suicide bomb targets Shabak minority in northern Iraq
(about 5 hours later)
At least 15 people have been killed in a suicide bomb in northern Iraq, in the latest attack on the Shia community. At least 15 people have been killed in a suicide bomb in a village near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
The incident happened in the village of Mwafaqiya, where members of Iraq's Shabak minority live. The attack hit the village of Mwafaqiya in Nineveh province, inhabited by members of the Shabak minority.
The Shabak largely follow a faith considered an offshoot of Shia Islam and are frequently targeted by Sunni Muslim militants.
Sectarian violence has surged across Iraq in recent months, reaching its highest level since 2008.
Qusay Abbas, a former Shabak representative in the Mosul provincial council, said the attack happened early in the morning.Qusay Abbas, a former Shabak representative in the Mosul provincial council, said the attack happened early in the morning.
"A suicide truck bomber detonated himself amidst the houses of my village," he said. "A suicide truck bomber detonated himself amidst the houses of my village," he told Reuters.
"There are still some people under the debris of their houses.""There are still some people under the debris of their houses."
It is not clear who carried out the attack, but the Shabak - who largely follow a faith considered an offshoot of Shia Islam - are frequently targeted by Sunni militants. The UN envoy to Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, condemned the attack in a statement and called for an end to the violence.
"The recent rise in violence in the Nineveh province calls for urgent action and strengthened security cooperation" between the central government and local officials, as well as with authorities in the Kurdish autonomous region that borders Nineveh, Mr Mladenov said.
Correspondents say the failure of the Shia-led government to address the grievances of Iraq's Sunni Arab minority - which complains of being excluded from government jobs and senior posts and of abuses by security forces - has driven the surge in unrest.
It is not clear who carried out the latest attack.
Last month, a suicide bomb attack on a Shabak funeral in Nineveh killed more than 20 people.Last month, a suicide bomb attack on a Shabak funeral in Nineveh killed more than 20 people.
The monitoring group Iraq Body Count says more than 6,000 people have been killed in violence across the country this year. The UN says that more than 5,700 people have been killed in violence across the country this year.
Sectarian violence has surged across Iraq in recent months, reaching its highest level since 2008. Almost 1,000 people were killed and more than 2,000 wounded in September alone, the UN says, one of the highest monthly dead tolls for years.