A series of attacks Tuesday in central and southern Iraq left at least 30 dead, reported police and medical sources. Four people were killed and 21 others injured in the explosion of two bombs planted on the roadside near the town of Karbala, a Shiite holy city which will host the anniversary celebrations of the birth of Imam al-Mahdi this week.
This attack, 80 km southwest of Baghdad, followed a series of bomb attacks targeting pilgrims and Shiite religious sites.
A suicide car bomb in a crowded market in the city of Diwaniya (south) has killed at least 25 dead and 40 wounded, an official of the provincial council conveyed. The police imposed a curfew and closed access to the city. The attack occurred near a Shiite mosque where pilgrims gathered before heading to Karbala to commemorate Imam al Mahdi.
This new wave of violence revives the fear of resurgence of sectarian tensions in the country where Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds struggle to overcome their political differences since the withdrawal of U.S. forces in December 2011.
