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Iraqi funeral hit by suicide bomber | Iraqi funeral hit by suicide bomber |
(3 days later) | |
A suicide bomber killed at least 21 people at the funeral of a member of Iraq's Shabak minority in the northern province of Nineveh on Saturday, security and medical sources said. | A suicide bomber killed at least 21 people at the funeral of a member of Iraq's Shabak minority in the northern province of Nineveh on Saturday, security and medical sources said. |
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, but Sunni Islamist militants have in the past targeted Shabaks, who are predominantly Shia, warning them to leave the area. | It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, but Sunni Islamist militants have in the past targeted Shabaks, who are predominantly Shia, warning them to leave the area. |
Iraq's delicate sectarian balance has come under acute strain from the war in neighbouring Syria, which has pitted mainly Sunni rebels against a leader backed by Shia Iran. | Iraq's delicate sectarian balance has come under acute strain from the war in neighbouring Syria, which has pitted mainly Sunni rebels against a leader backed by Shia Iran. |
"I was attending the funeral sitting with the women when we heard a huge explosion," said Umm Mohammed, who at the funeral in Bartella, 25 km (15 miles) east of Nineveh's capital, Mosul. | "I was attending the funeral sitting with the women when we heard a huge explosion," said Umm Mohammed, who at the funeral in Bartella, 25 km (15 miles) east of Nineveh's capital, Mosul. |
"When we went out, we found some men either killed or injured," she said. | "When we went out, we found some men either killed or injured," she said. |
Sunni Islamist insurgents, who view Shias as non-believers, have been regaining momentum in Iraq in recent months, raising fears of a return to the scale of intercommunal violence that peaked in 2006-07 following the US-led invasion. | Sunni Islamist insurgents, who view Shias as non-believers, have been regaining momentum in Iraq in recent months, raising fears of a return to the scale of intercommunal violence that peaked in 2006-07 following the US-led invasion. |
About 800 Iraqis were killed in acts of violence in August, according to the United Nations. | About 800 Iraqis were killed in acts of violence in August, according to the United Nations. |
That is still well below its height, when the monthly death toll sometimes topped 3,000. | That is still well below its height, when the monthly death toll sometimes topped 3,000. |
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