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Wave of Deadly Attacks Reported Across Iraq


An Iraqi soldier monitors the Iraq-Syria border point, Abu Kamal, July 22, 2012.
An Iraqi soldier monitors the Iraq-Syria border point, Abu Kamal, July 22, 2012.
A wave of deadly attacks has shattered the peace in Iraq, where Muslims are marking the second day of the Eid al-Adha holiday.

Officials say at least 15 people were killed in a series of explosions and shootings on Saturday, many of them Shi'ite pilgrims marking the holiday.

The violence includes a bombing north of Baghdad that killed at least five Shi'ite pilgrims who were in a minibus that was carrying them to a mosque.

Investigators say another explosion at a popular open-air market near the capital killed at least five people, including several children, while a series of attacks elsewhere in Iraq left at least five others dead.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attacks. Sunni insurgents and al-Qaida militants have previously targeted Shi'ites in a bid to stir up sectarian strife in Iraq.

Violence across Iraq is down sharply from its peak in 2006 and 2007. However, 365 people were killed in unrest in September, making it the country's deadliest month in two years.
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