Today was a particularly bloody day in Iraq, where the violence continues to spiral towards pre-surge levels. At least 70 people were killed in a series of car bombings and armed attacks, many of which targeted Shia worshipers. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham, al Qaeda’s branch in the country, was also able to launch two suicide assaults. Seven suicide bombers were deployed during today’s attacks. From The Associated Press:
In other violence on Monday, a group of suicide bombers launched a brazen attack on a police station in the town of Beiji, a former insurgent stronghold 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad, where a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into the main gate of the town police station.
That explosion paved the way for three other suicide bombers who were on foot to storm inside and blow themselves up in the building, a police officer said. Eight policemen, including an officer, were killed while five were wounded in the attack, he said.
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In the northern city of Tikrit, some 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of Baghdad, three suicide bombers set off their explosives belts in a bid to break into the building of the city council. Two civilians were killed in that attack and seven were wounded.
So far this month, the ISIS has executed eight suicide attacks; according to a count by LWJ, six have been suicide assaults, or attacks that include more than one bomber and are often accompanied by an armed team of fighters.
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