Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

15 Iraqis Killed in Attack on Muwafaqiya Shi'i Mosque, 12 Killed in Attack on Tikrit Sunni Mosque

October 17, 2013

Attack on Al-Quds Sunni Mosque in Tikrit, October 15, 2013	Attack on Iraqi army patrol in Ramadi, October 15, 2013

 

15 killed, 60 wounded in suicide bombing in northern Iraq

BAGHDAD, Oct. 17, 2013 (Xinhua) --

At least 15 people were killed and 60 others wounded in a suicide bomb attack in northern Iraq on Thursday, police said.

The attack occurred when a suicide attacker detonated a truck bomb in Muwafaqiya, a village of the Shi'i Shabak community near Mosul, some 400 km north of Baghdad, a police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Iraq is witnessing its worst eruption of violence in recent years. According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, almost 6, 000 Iraqis were killed and over 14,000 others injured from January to September this year.

Suicide bomb targets Shia in northern Iraq

At least 15 people have been killed in a suicide bomb in northern Iraq, in the latest attack on the Shia community.

The incident happened in the village of Mwafaqiya, where members of Iraq's Shabak minority live.

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.

"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.

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.

Sectarian violence has surged across Iraq in recent months, reaching its highest level since 2008.

Iraq mosque bombing targets Sunni worshippers celebrating Eid

Many are killed and injured in explosion after morning prayers at mosque in northern city of Kirkuk

Associated Press in Baghdad

theguardian.com, Tuesday 15 October 2013 03.55 EDT

A bomb has ripped through a crowd of Sunni worshippers coming out of a mosque in northern Iraq after prayers at the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, killing 12 people and wounding 24, a police official has said.

The bomb went off on Tuesday morning as worshippers were leaving the al-Quds mosque in the city of Kirkuk, 180 miles (290km) north of Baghdad.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

More than 5,000 people have been killed in Iraq following a deadly security crackdown on a Sunni protest camp in April.

The latest attack came despite tight security measures imposed by security forces to prevent attacks during the four-day Eid al-Adha celebrations.