At least 17 killed and dozens wounded in Iraq bomb attacks
Iraqi security forces inspect the scene of a car bomb explosion outside Kirkuk University on April 15, 2012.
At least 17 people were killed and 57 wounded in a series of bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Thursday, according to Agence France Presse.
A car bomb exploded outside a crowded restaurant in the Shia neighborhood of Shula, killing 13 and wounding at least 37, the Associated Press reports, while a similar attack on the Baghdad home of an adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Miliki killed a civilian and wounded four others.
Earlier Thursday, explosions hit the two homes of Iraqi policemen in the mainly Sunni district of Amariyah, killing two and wounding nine. A policeman was also killed and three others injured in a fifth attack on a police patrol in the capital.
The roadside bombs and car bombs hit at least a half-dozen neighborhoods north, south and west of Baghdad, including Ghazaliyah and Yarmuk in west Baghdad, and Dora and Saidiyah in the south of the capital, said AFP.
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Although violence in Iraq has declined in recent years, Thursday’s violence came after scores were killed during bomb attacks in April, CNN reports. According to the Iraqi interior ministry, 126 people were killed in violence and 271 were wounded during that month.
It is unclear who carried out Thursday’s attacks and whether they were linked. According to the BBC, Baghdad is currently hosting a major auction inviting international companies to explore oil and gas across Iraq.
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Watch raw video footage from the bombing in Shula, courtesy of the Guardian: