Baghdad bomb attacks kill at least 13

Two bombs exploded in a crowded market in northeastern Baghdad on Friday, killing at least 13 people and wounding more than 100 others, according to Iraqi authorities. Security officials have cordoned off the attack ares and imposed a curfew, Arabstoday has learned. A police official said Friday’s bombs went off at midmorning in a market in the mostly Shiite Muslim neighbourhood of Husseiniyah. A fierce wave of attacks in Iraq has killed more than 125 people in the last 10 days, mostly targeting Shiites and government security forces. The bloodshed highlights the struggle the divided government faces in defeating al-Qaeda-linked insurgents. Earlier Friday, gunmen opened fire on a police checkpoint in western Baghdad, killing three officers. Tensions have been high in Iraq since the departure of US troops in December especially due to feuding between Iraq’s main Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish political factions over power, according to Reuters. While overall violence in Iraq has dropped since the peak of sectarian fighting in 2006-07, recent bombings against Shiites have reignited fears the country risks sliding back into major bloodshed. On Monday, a suicide bomber killed at least 15 people mourning at a Shiite funeral in the northern Iraqi city of Baquba.