Monday, June 18, 2012

Suicide bomber kills 15 at Iraq Shi'ite funeral

Some things are as surefire as daily sunrises.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed at least 15 people mourning at a Shi'ite funeral in the northern Iraqi city of Baquba on Monday in the latest sectarian attack this month.

A wave of bombings on Shi'ite pilgrims and religious sites has killed more than 130 people in June, reviving fears of a return to widespread sectarian violence, in some of the bloodiest attacks since U.S. troops left Iraq in December.

The bomber on Monday blew himself up inside funeral tents where mourners in Baquba were paying respects to the family of an influential Shi'ite tribal sheikh, witnesses and hospital officials said.

"The bomber came in through a side entrance in one tent. When he blew himself up, all I could see was dust and people being thrown back by the pressure of the blast," said senior policeman Abbas Ali, who was off duty and among the mourners.

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