A series of bomb and mortar shell attacks in and around Baghdad killed at least 36 people, Iraqi officials said Thursday, in an assault that underscored the threat posed to the Iraqi capital by marauding militants that have seized large parts of country.
At least 15 people alone were killed in an apparently coordinated assault the northern Shiite district of Khazimiyah, according to police. A bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into a security checkpoint there late in the evening. Minutes later, three mortar shells landed in different parts of the district, hitting houses and a bus station, AP reported.
Police said 31 were wounded in the attacks on Khazimiyah, which is a major pilgrimage site that contains the shrine of two revered Shiite Imams.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for those attacks or a series of other explosions that rattled the capital area, but car bombs and attacks against Shiite civilians are common tactics used by Islamic State (IS) militants.
