A pair of bombings in Tikrit shattered the solemnity of the prayer day. At least 37 Iraqis were killed in it and 71 others were wounded there and in Baghdad. Only two other attacks were reported. For about the last 10 days, news reports of violence have been oddly scant. Today, other than the Tikrit bombings. is no exception.
At least 19 Iraqis were killed and more than 57 were wounded in a blast at a Sunni mosque housed within a former Saddam palace in Tikrit. The now-leveled building had apparently been booby-trapped with C-4 explosives before today’s services. Many high-ranking officials worship at this mosque, and the blast killed several of them. Among the dead are two provincial council members, an intelligence officer, and a judge. A member of parliament reportedly escaped unharmed. Later, a suicide bomber attacked the hospital where the victims were being treating, killing 17 more. As many as two dozen more were wounded as well.
In Baghdad, a blast targeting a Sahwa leader left two wounded.
A hand grenade was tossed at a U.S. patrol in Kirkuk, but no casualties were reported.
