Iraq: 107 dead in bombing, shooting attacks
Iraqi police and pedestrians look at the shell of a car, one of a series of car bombs targeting army and police patrols in Kirkuk and the eponymous province’s towns of Tuz Khurmatu and Dibis which killed at least five people and wounded 20 others on July 23, 2012.
At least 107 people have died today in a series of bombings and shootings across Iraq, in the country’s bloodiest day in two years, Reuters reported. The Associated Press cited the death toll as 103.
NPR reported what appear to be coordinated attacks in at least 13 cities. In the deadliest attack, as many as 18 people were killed in explosions, including a suicide blast, in the Sunni town of Taji, about 15 miles north of Baghdad.
More from GlobalPost: Iraq bombs kill 17
Citing a medical official, AFP reported that the suicide bomber detonated his explosives after emergency crews had rushed to help the victims of a series of roadside bombs.
In a separate attack, seven soldiers were killed when a gunman launched an early morning assault on the military base of Albu Slaib, east of Baghdad.
The BBC counted at least nine incidents of violence, including car bombings, that took place in both Baghdad and several towns to the north, while AFP reported 22 attacks in 14 areas.
Bombings and shootings were carried out in Saadiyah, Khan Beni Saad, Tuz Khurmatu, Dibis and Kirkuk city.
Security forces were specifically targeted, the BBC reported, adding that police checkpoints had been hit by car bombs, and one police officer was attacked in his home.
More from GlobalPost: Banking on Africa's poor
The violence, which wounded an estimated 161 people, came a day after bombings around Iraq killed 17 people as the country marked the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility, Al-Qaeda warned ahead of today's attacks that it would be looking to “retake territory” in Iraq.