June 13, 2012
Police say 42 people have been killed in attacks in Baghdad and southern Iraq
A spate of attacks that targeted Shiite pilgrims and police troops in Baghdad and southern Iraq on Wednesday killed at least 42 people and injured scores of others, police officials said.
Baghdad was hit by five bomb attacks and two shooting incidents that killed and injured scores of Shiite pilgrims, police and hospital sources said, however the specific number of deaths and injuries were not yet available.
The pilgrims were gathering in the Iraqi capital to mark the anniversary of the death of Shiite imam Moussa al-Kadhim, a great-grandson of Prophet Mohammed.
Meanwhile, two car bombs in the central Iraqi city of al-Hilla killed at least 13 people and wounded scores of others, was reported.
The first car bomb, which detonated near a restaurant in al-Hilla, killed six people and wounded 20, according to a police captain and doctor Ali al-Khafaji in the city’s hospital.
A second blast, minutes later, killed seven people and wounded 25, they said.Violence in Iraq has declined dramatically since its peak in 2006-2007, but attacks remain common, especially in Baghdad. A total of 132 Iraqis were killed in violence in May, official figures show
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