BOMBINGS, MORTAR ATTACKS CLAIM 16 LIVES IN IRAQ

Baghdad, 15 Jumadil awwal 1435/6 March 2015 (MINA) – Police and medical officials in Iraq say at least sixteen people have been killed in a series of bombings and mortar strikes in mostly civilian areas in and around the capital, Baghdad, Press Tv quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting, Friday.

Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said 13 civilians lost their lives and at least 39 others sustained injuries in separate bomb attacks targeting an outdoor market in Baghdad’s southeastern suburb of Nahrawan, a commercial street in the southern district of Abu Dashir, a market in the city of Mahmoudiyah, located 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Baghdad, as well as in mortar attacks targeting a residential area in Baghdad’s southern district of Dora on Thursday.

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Another bomb also targeted a military patrol in a northeastern district, killing three soldiers and wounding seven.

No group has claimed responsibility for the acts of violence, but such incidents are often attributed to the Takfiri ISIL terrorists.

According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), a total of 1,103 Iraqis lost their lives last month, while 2,280 others were injured as a result of attacks in the country.

The UN mission added that 611 civilians were among the fatalities. The number of civilians injured also stood at 1,353. Violence also claimed the lives of a further 492 members of the Iraqi army, while 927 others sustained injuries.

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A great portion of the casualties was recorded in Baghdad Province, where 329 civilians were killed and 875 others wounded.

The Takfiri ISIL terrorist group started its campaign of terror in Iraq in early June 2014. The heavily-armed militants took control of the city of Mosul before sweeping through parts of the country’s Sunni Arab heartland.

Iraqi soldiers, police units, Kurdish forces, Shia volunteers and Sunni tribesmen have recently succeeded in driving the terrorists out of some areas in Iraq. (T/P002/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)