Iraq bombings claim more casualties
Separate deadly attacks target Iranian pilgrims in Baquba and police officers on patrol in Mosul.
A series of car bomb explosions have left at least six people dead and more than 20 injured, in the latest bloody attacks across Iraq.
A suicide car bomber targeting a convoy of Iranian pilgrims blew himself up in the northeastern city of Baquba on Friday, killing at least five people and injuring 20 others.
The Iranians were heading back home when the attack took place in the city’s Harouniyah district.
In a separate incident in Mosul, one military officer was killed and another was injured when a roadside bomber attacked while they were on patrol.
Friday’s attacks are the latest in a new wave of violence, which according to the UN has killed at least 1,045 civilians and security personnel during the month of May.
Several people were killed overnight on Thursday, including at least seven policemen, when a suicide attacker rammed his explosives-laden car into the headquarters of a police commando unit in the Taji area, outside of the capital Baghdad, according to the AP news agency.
At least 12 police officers were also injured in the attack.
Also on Thursday, in an industrial compound in the Bayaa neighbourhood, southwest of Baghdad, a parked car bomb blew up killing three civilians and injuring 15.
In Madaeen town, also south of Baghdad, two explosive devices blew up at a police checkpoint injuring three policemen and two civilians.
Fake checkpoint
Violence has spiked in Iraq in recent weeks, raising fears of a return to widespread sectarian bloodshed.
The death toll in May surpassed April’s 712 casualties, making it the deadliest month recorded since June 2008.
The attacks on Thursday came just a day after gunmen ambushed a group of travellers at a fake checkpoint at a desert site in western Iraq, killing at least 14 of them.
Of the casualties on Wednesday’s attack, 11 were military men heading to their base in Anbar Province, while three were civilian drivers.
The latest attacks have coincided with rising discontent in the Sunni Arab minority against the mainly Shia-led government that erupted into protests in late December.
Sunni protesters are expected to come out again following prayers on Friday.
Authorities have failed to bring the wave of unrest under control, and have not addressed the underlying political issues that analysts said are driving the attacks.