Deaths Reported in Baghdad Mortar Attack Near Shi'ite Shrine

June 11, 2012

At least four people have been killed and dozens wounded after two mortar bombs struck a square filled with Shi'ite pilgrims in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

The June 10 attack targeted the northwestern district of Kadhimiya, the site of a Shi'ite shrine, and came as pilgrims were gathering ahead of a religious festival to mark the anniversary of the death of medieval Shi'ite imam Moussa al-Kadhim.

Police said the death toll could rise.

Sectarian tensions have been high in Iraq since the withdrawal of U.S. forces in December, with attacks by al-Qaeda-linked Sunni Islamists still reported against Shi'ite targets.

At least 26 people were killed and more than 190 wounded June 4 when a suicide bomber detonated a car packed with explosives outside a Shi'ite affairs building in central Baghdad.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/article/24610027.html

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