At least 51 Killed, 98 Wounded in Iraq Attacks

by , January 23, 2013

Tuz Khormato was the scene of a massive attack that left dozens dead and wounded at a Shi’ite funeral. It was the only major attack today, and the source of most of Wednesday’s casualties. Overall, at least 51 people were killed and 98 more were wounded across the country.

A suicide bomber struck at a Shi’ite mosque in restive Tuz Khormato today. At least 42 people were killed at the Sayyid al-Shuhada mosque. As many as 90 more may have been wounded. Conflicting figures are common when large numbers of casualties are involved.

The attack came as a funeral for a hospital staffer, who was killed yesterday, was ending. The dead man was related to a politician, and several government officials in attendance at the funeral were among the wounded. Police arrived shortly after the bombing and began shooting into the air, presumably to disperse the crowd that had gathered.

A week ago Tuz Khormato suffered another significant attack. The city has seen increased tensions between Kurds and Arabs since a November shootout. Baghdad wants to retain authority over the disputed region, while Arbil wants it folded into Iraqi Kurdistan. A significant Turkmen population also claims the city. Whether this attack is a response to those particular tensions or a random attack is unclear.

In Baquba, one person was killed and four more were wounded in a blast targeting a minibus.

Gunmen killed a Sahwa member in Falluja. A bomb killed one soldier and wounded another.

In Mosul, gunmen killed a principal. Two policemen were shot dead at a checkpoint.

A sticky bomb in al-Asouad killed a civilian.

Two bombs wounded three people at their home in Bani Saad. Other unexploded bombs were found nearby.

In Tikrit, a sticky bomb exploded on a police official’s car, but no casualties occurred.

Read more by Margaret Griffis