BAGHDAD (AP) — Attacks across Iraq targeting security forces and those marking a major Shiite commemoration killed 21 people today while gunmen in the former insurgent stronghold of Fallujah assassinated the city’s mayor as he was supervising a cleanup project.
The deadliest among today’s attacks was the one targeting a group of Shiites marking Ashoura in the eastern city of Baqouba, a former al-Qaida stronghold, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad. That attack killed eight people, including two children, and wounded 35, a police officer said.
Shiites are marking Ashoura, the remembrance commemorating the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in present day Iraq in the 7th century. The commemoration draws hundreds of thousands of Shiites to mourning ceremonies.
The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less