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Bombings Kill Over Two Dozen in Baghdad


Residents stand among debris at one of the scenes of car bomb attacks that struck three mainly Shi'ite districts in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, July 19, 2014. A suicide bomber struck earlier in the day.
Residents stand among debris at one of the scenes of car bomb attacks that struck three mainly Shi'ite districts in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, July 19, 2014. A suicide bomber struck earlier in the day.

A series of bombings have rocked Baghdad, killing at least 26 people in one of the worst spates of violence in the capital since Islamist insurgents captured the city of Mosul, last month.

The single deadliest incident on Saturday took place near a police checkpoint in the mainly Shi'ite Muslim Abu Dsheer district in southern Baghdad.

Investigators say a suicide car bombing at the checkpoint killed at least seven people.

Later, at least three bombings occurred within an hour across the city, killing at least 15 people. A fourth bombing took place later in the day.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility.

The Iraqi government had stepped up its efforts to protect Baghdad after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militant group captured Mosul, as part of its efforts try to push across the country.

Insurgents linked to the ISIL have taken over much of northern and western Iraq. Analysts have said Baghdad, which is in central Iraq, is in no immediate danger of falling to the rebels.

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