Ethnic Rifts in Iraq: 25 killed, scores wounded in suicide bombing at Shiite mosque

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Thu, Jan 24) – A suicide attack on Shiite mosque killed at least 25, while scores have been reported injured on Wednesday in Northern Iraq.

Ethnic Rifts in Iraq: 25 killed, scores wounded in suicide bombing at Shiite mosque

According to details; a suicide bomber struck a crowded funeral ceremony at Sayyid al-Shuhada mosque in Tuz Khormato, some 120 kilometers (130 miles) north of Baghdad, as mourners marked the death of a government employee who was killed in a drive-by shooting a day earlier.

The head of the Salahuddin provincial health directorate, Raed Ibrahim, said 18 people were killed and 45 were wounded in the attack. Another official, Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir al-Zaidi, a military commander, said at least 14 people were killed. At least 44 people were wounded in the attack, including some provincial officials, he said.

Media reports suggest that Ahmed Abdul-Wahed, deputy governor of Salaheddin province - a largely Sunni region in north central Iraq, is also among the injured.

The latest killing is likely to further deepen the country's ethnic and sectarian rifts as the latest suicide attack occurred just a day after a string of attacks, including three car bombs in and around Baghdad, killed at least 22 people Tuesday.

Report Tags:

Iraq, Iraq War, Tuz Khormato, Tuz Khurmatu, Shiite Mosque, Suicide Attack, Suicide Bomber, ethnic rifts, sectarian rifts