Eight members of a militia linked to Iraq's powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr were killed Thursday in a bomb blast north of Baghdad, security sources said.

The roadside bomb exploded when a convoy of Saraya al-Salam drove along a highway near Samarra, one source said, adding that several people were also wounded in the attack.

One of the eight militiamen killed was a commander who took part in anti-jihadist operations in Iraq, said another source.

Samarra -- a Sunni majority region -- is home to a major Iraqi security headquarters and to an important Shiite shrine where a 2006 bombing touched off two years of sectarian bloodletting.

The militia, led by Sadr whose political alliance triumphed in May 2018 parliamentary elections, has been deployed in the Samarra region since 2014 when the Islamic State group swept across Iraq. </s> At least 50 people have been killed and over 80 more injured in a pair of gun and car bomb attacks in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, Reuters reports, citing health officials. Iranian media said that among the victims were Iranian pilgrims.

In the first attack, a group of gunmen entered a restaurant off the Dhi Qar highway and began shooting at random, hitting at least 50 people, local media reports.

Shortly afterward two suicide bombers, including one driving a car rigged with explosives, blew themselves and the car up at a security checkpoint nearby, Iraqi officials told AFP.

The survivors being taken to the al-Batha and Nasiriyah hospitals, Press TV reports.

Jassem al-Khalidi, a senior health official, told the TV channel that more than 87 people had sustained injuries in the attacks.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks. Nasiriyah is the capital of Dhi Qar Governorate, which has a large Shiite population. Shiites and other ethnic and religious minorities have often been targets of Sunni militants in Iraq, including al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). </s> The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks in Iraq since mid-October including three since New Year's Eve.

The latest on Monday saw at least 32 people killed in a suicide car bombing that targeted a Shiite neighbourhood of the capital Baghdad.

At least 27 people were also killed by twin explosions in a busy market area in central Baghdad on New Year's Eve, while another seven died on Sunday in an attack south of the Shiite shrine city of Najaf.

They were the latest in a spate of attacks since the army launched an offensive in mid-October to recapture Mosul, the country's second city and last remaining IS stronghold in Iraq. One on November 25 saw 70 people, mostly Shiite pilgrims, killed south of Baghdad.

The wave of violence has shocked many, but the attacks are still far from the deadliest since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003:

- July 3, 2016: 323 people are killed when a suicide truck bomber attacks a shopping area in the Baghdad district of Karrada.

- October 25, 2009: 153 people are killed and more than 500 wounded when two car bombs explode in Baghdad.

- August 14, 2007: More than 400 people are slaughtered when four suicide truck bombs target members of the ancient Yazidi religious sect in two Kurdish villages in northern Iraq.

- July 7, 2007: At least 140 people are killed in a suicide truck bombing in Amerli village in northern Iraq.

- April 18, 2007: A wave of car bomb attacks on Shiite districts of Baghdad leaves 190 dead.

- March 27, 2007: An anti-Shiite attack in the northern town of Tal Afar kills 152.

- February 3, 2007: A suicide truck bomb attack in a Baghdad market kills at least 130.

- November 23, 2006: At least 202 die in a string of car bombings in Baghdad's Sadr City.

- September 14, 2005: At least 128 people are killed in a series of suicide bombings in Shiite districts of Baghdad.

- March 2, 2004: Bomb attacks on Shiites in the holy city of Karbala and in Baghdad kill more than 170. </s> KABUL, Afghanistan — A second attack in two days struck Shiite worshipers Wednesday in Afghanistan as a deadly bomb blast tore through crowds defiantly gathered to mark one of the holiest commemorations for Shiite Muslims.

The blast in the northern Balkh province - home to one of the most important Shiite shrines - followed an attack Tuesday in Kabul at a Shiite shrine that killed at least 17 people and raised fears of more violence during the Shiite processions and gatherings.

But Shiites refused appeals to stay off the streets, packing areas in Kabul and elsewhere for events marking Ashura, which ends a month of mourning for Imam Hussein, a grandson of the prophet Muhammad, who was killed in battle in the 7th century.

Details of the Balkh attack were not immediately clear, but police said at least 12 people were killed and 28 wounded.

The Islamic State reportedly claimed it was involved in orchestrating the Kabul attack, according to the group's media wing. Many Sunni-led militant factions, including the Islamic State and the Taliban, consider Shiites part of a heretical branch of Islam.

In the capital, the area around the assaulted Karte Sakhi shrine was cordoned off to traffic, and security was extremely heavy. Dozens of uniformed and plainclothes police officers were stationed on every block, and squads of gunmen in trucks circled the ethnic Hazara Shiite district of West Kabul.

In July, suicide bombers from the Islamic State killed 80 people at a peaceful protest by Hazaras in the same community.

Even before Tuesday's deadly violence, the Afghan government had urged people not to congregate during Ashura and expose themselves to danger. Five years ago, at another shrine in Kabul on Ashura, 70 people were killed in a suicide bombing claimed by a violent Sunni group from Pakistan.

But Shiites thronged the streets in acts of defiance: pushing baby strollers, wearing sashes saying "We salute Hussein," hoisting flags from minivans and bicycles, and smearing their cars with red paint to symbolize the blood spilled by Hussein.

"We have zero fear," said Sayed Abdullah, 20, a geology student wearing a black tunic and green scarf to represent mourning and Islam. "Those who did this are determined to stop our gathering, but they will fail."

Like many people in the crowd, Abdullah said there was no enmity between Afghan minority Shiites and majority Sunni Muslims, and he accused outside forces of using violence in an attempt to sow sectarian division and hatred.

"There is unity and empathy between us," he said, adding that students of both sects had read the Koran and passed out alms together this week.

Nasir Alizada, 27, a metal worker, said he was at the rally that was bombed in July, where young Hazaras had gathered to protest discrimination and poor public services to their community. Although the group was weakened and splintered by the attack, it will "continue to struggle for our rights," he said. "We have no fear of the enemies of Islam."

Women brought their entire families out for the events, seemingly unfazed by the previous night's attack at the Karte Sakhi shrine. The ornately tiled and turreted shrine is surrounded by a cemetery and park that is a popular spot for picnics among Shiites, especially during new year celebrations in March under the calendar followed by Iranians and many other Shiites.

"We are worried that Hazaras will be targeted again, but we still want to take part. We are ready to give our lives," said a high school senior who gave her name as Roya. She and two friends had visited 12 shrines during the week, she said, and now they were on their way to visit Karte Sakhi as well.

Despite the festive air, tension was evident everywhere.

Police repeatedly shouted at drivers to keep moving, and hundreds of mosque security volunteers urged people not to bunch around the charity food stalls and the tents selling colorful banners and posters of Hussein and other historic figures in heroic and benign poses.

Men and boys performed ritual self-flagellation in frenzied circles in symbolic rites for Hussein's death. Drum-pounding funeral chants boomed from loudspeakers.

"This day is very important for us every year, so we cannot worry," said Mohammed Reza, 56, a shopkeeper. He held hands with his two young grandchildren, both wearing green headscarves, as they moved through the crowds.

"If there is another attack or explosion, it doesn't matter," he added. "We are here to dedicate ourselves to Hussein." </s> KABUL, Afghanistan — An Afghan official said 14 people have been killed in a militant attack on a Shiite shrine in the capital, Kabul.

The Interior Ministry's spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi, said on Tuesday another 26 people were wounded in the attack on the Sakhi Shrine.

He said that 13 civilians and one policeman were killed, and that three police were among the wounded.

Contrary to earlier reports of three gunmen, Sediqqi said only one gunman attacked the shrine. He was shot dead by police.

Shiites had gathered at the Sakhi Shrine, the largest in the capital, as part of annual commemorations for Muhharam, a month of mourning to commemorate the death of Imam Hussein — the grandson of the Prophet Muhammed — in Karbala, Iraq, in 680 AD.

On Wednesday, Shiites will mark Ashoura Day, the climax of the holy month, which in Afghanistan is a public holiday.

Kabul police had warned Shiites against large gatherings as attacks were expected. Lt. Gen. Gul Nabi Ahmadzia, the commander of the Kabul garrison, told The Associated Press on Monday that he had received credible reports that Ashoura activities would be targeted and called for Shiites to hold the ceremonies "within limits."

Shiites make up an estimated 15 percent of Afghanistan's population of around 30 million people. Most Afghan Shiites are ethnic Hazaras. Militant Sunni fundamentalists such as the Taliban and the Islamic State group view Shiites as apostates and frequently attack Shiite mosques and public gatherings.

A July suicide bomb attack on a public demonstration by Hazaras against discrimination killed at least 80 people and wounded more than 200.

In 2011, at least 54 people were killed when a suicide bomber detonated his device at another Kabul shrine where hundreds of people had gathered. A Shiite mosque in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif was hit at the same time, leaving four dead. </s> A suicide explosion at a Shiite mosque in eastern Baghdad killed two civilians and wounded nine people on Friday, two Iraqi police officers told AFP.

The blast hit the Imam Mahdi al-Muntadhar mosque in Baladiyat, near the massive and densely-populated district of Sadr City.

"At least one attacker wearing a belt of explosives tried to enter the building but was stopped by the guards, and detonated himself outside," one officer told AFP.

"Two civilians were killed and nine people were wounded," the source said.

The second officer confirmed the details and toll for the attack.

At the scene, security forces quickly deployed to cordon off the site, an AFP photographer at the mosque said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Iraq has witnessed a rare period of relative calm in recent months after decades of back-to-back conflict, including years of sectarian violence that regularly saw dozens killed in explosions in Baghdad.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory against the Islamic State jihadist group, which had also carried out mass attacks against civilians in the capital.

The improved security situation has led officials to dismantle the concrete blast walls, barbed wire and checkpoints that had become ubiquitous in Baghdad.

Last month, at least eight people were killed and 15 wounded in a suicide bombing at a market in eastern Baghdad.

In November, explosions in several Shiite-majority districts killed six people, most of them civilians. </s> Twin bombs targeting Shiite pilgrims killed 59 people, mostly Iraqis visiting a shrine, in Damascus on Saturday, a monitoring group said.

The attack is one the bloodiest in the Syrian capital.

The twin blasts Saturday hit outside Bab al-Saghir cemetery, one of the most ancient in the Syrian capital and which houses revered Shiite religious figures.

Reports said that among those killed were 47 pilgrims and 12 Syrian pro-government fighters.

Levant Swords rebel group has reportedly claimed the responsibility of the double bombing attack on buses of Shia pilgrims parked outside the cemetery.

Ahmed Jamal, Iraq's foreign ministry spokesman, says in a statement initial reports suggest 40 killed were Iraqis. He said a crisis cell was formed in coordination with Syrian authorities to determine the identities of those killed and wounded and to transfer them to Iraq. The statement condemned the attacks.

Syrian Interior Minister Mohammad Shaar said the attack targeted "pilgrims of various Arab nationalities" adding that "the sole aim was to kill."

There have been periodic attacks in Damascus during the six years of civil war in Syria, but the stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad has largely been spared the destruction faced by other major cities.

Levant Swords group is allied with the rebels' Free Syrian Army (FSA), which is operating in areas in the southern countryside of Damascus, Xinhua cited Mayadeen TV as saying.

Meanwhile, the pro-government al-Watan online newspaper said that the bomb squads succeeded to defuse bombs mounted on a motorcycle that was supposed to go off in that area as well. </s> At least 57 people -- mostly Iranian Shi'ite pilgrims -- were killed when a truck bomb exploded at a gas station in Iraq, authorities said.

The blast happened Thursday on a highway between Babel and Al-Qadisiyyah, said Falah al Radhi, the head of the Babel security council. He said at least 50 people were also wounded.

The parked truck exploded near several buses carrying Shi'ite pilgrims, mostly Iranians, Radhi said. The Iranian pilgrims were in Iraq to mark the commemoration of Imam Hussein's death.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Developing story - more to come </s> Islamic State claims Baghdad car bomb attack as wave of attacks kills more than 20

Updated

A wave of attacks in and around Baghdad has left more than 20 people dead, the latest in a series of assaults blamed on the Islamic State (IS) group.

A suicide car bomb ripped through a wholesale market in the sprawling Shiite neighbourhood of Sadr City, killing at least seven people and wounding 15, Brigadier General Saad Maan, the Interior Ministry spokesman, said.

He said a member of the security forces spotted the bomber and opened fire but was unable to prevent the attack.

A policeman and two medical officials gave a higher toll, saying 16 people were killed in the attack and another 47 wounded.

At a hospital where victims of the attack had been taken, a body exploded inside a morgue refrigerator.

The medics said it appeared to have been a second attacker who was killed by shrapnel from the first explosion.

IS claimed the attack, saying it was targeting Shiites. The Sunni extremist group views Iraq's Shiite majority as apostates deserving of death.

Elsewhere in the city, a suicide bomber killed nine shoppers and wounded 16 others at a fruit and vegetable market in a mainly Shiite neighbourhood.

Three additional bombings in and around the capital killed seven people and wounded 24 others.

Police and medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to release information.

IS has carried out a string of bombings in Baghdad over the past week, killing dozens. A suicide bomber struck Sadr City last week, leaving more than 40 people dead.

The latest attacks come as Iraqi forces are trying to drive IS militants from the northern city of Mosul in a massive operation launched in mid-October.

In recent days, troops have pushed closer to the Tigris River, which splits the city in half.

Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, fell to IS in the summer of 2014, when the militants swept over much of northern and western Iraq.

AP

Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, terrorism, iraq

First posted
A roadside bomb blast kills 8 Shiite militiamen and wounds others.