WORLD> Middle East
Bombs targeting Shi'ite Muslims kill 44 in Iraq
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-08-08 00:25

Bombs targeting Shi'ite Muslims kill 44 in Iraq
A resident looks at the site of bomb attack in Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad August 7, 2009. A bomb in a parked car near a crowded market killed five people and wounded 30 others in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Thursday, a hospital source said. [Agencies]

SQUARE ONE

Many Iraqis also fear attacks on Shi'ites may re-ignite the sectarian slaughter between Sunnis and Shi'ites that has only abated in the last 18 months. Tens of thousands have been killed in the bloodshed since the US-led invasion in 2003.

"These bombings are an attempt to return Iraq to square one," said analyst and professor Hameed Fadhel.

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"I expect these attacks to rise the closer we get to the elections. The coming months will be a very critical time for Iraq," he added, referring to national polls due in January.

Politicians are in the throes of discussing coalitions, and violence may make cross-sectarian alliances difficult.

In Baghdad, roadside bombs exploded as minibuses carrying Shi'ite Muslims home from pilgrimage a day earlier passed by.

Roadside bombs struck two minibuses in separate incidents in the poor Baghdad Shi'ite district of Sadr City and another roadside bomb struck a minibus in east Baghdad, a hospital source said, killing a total of six and wounding 24.

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims poured into Iraq's holy city of Kerbala on Thursday to mark the birth of Imam Mohammed al-Mehdi, a Messiah-like figure Shi'ites believe vanished centuries ago and will return to bring peace on earth.

The event was the second big religious gathering in Iraq since the withdrawal of US combat troops from urban centers in June, which thrust Iraqi security forces into the leading role.

Thursday's pilgrimage and the previous event passed largely peacefully, but insurgent attacks are still common, raising doubts about the Iraqi security forces' ability to stand alone.

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