3 Iraqis killed in Sadr city attack

At least three Muslim worshippers attending Friday prayers were killed in an attack on a Shiite district of Baghdad, Arabstoday has learned. Of the twin blasts in the poor area of Sadr city, one exploded beside a pulpit during prayers, killing at least three people and wounded six, police sources said. The first bomb detonated beside the pulpit, while a preacher was leading prayers at an outdoor mosque. Moments later, a second device, that had been hidden under weeds amid the worshippers, exploded. A worshipper who survived the attack told Arabstoday that blast in the outdoor mosque was targeted at people who were praying there. This is the second attack on Sadr cityl after a bomb exploded near an ice cream parlour and fruit and vegetable stalls last Friday, killing 14. The mosque in Friday's attack reportedly belongs to the Iraqi Sadrist faction, led by prominent cleric and head of the Sadrist movement Moqtada al-Sadr. Al-Qaeda's front group in Iraq earlier claimed responsibility for dozens of deadly attacks in the Sunni-dominated western Anbar province this summer. The Islamic State of Iraq said in a statement that it was behind a wave of 43 attacks that included roadside bombings, sticky bombs, mortars and rockets, booby trapped houses and shootings against Iraqi security forces, pro-government elements and military bases. The statement, which appeared on a militant website, says the attacks took place from late June until the second half of July, leaving scores of dead and injured. Iraq's security forces and government offices are top targets for insurgents seeking to undermine the Shiite-led government's authority. Bombings and shootings in Iraq killed at least 409 people and wounded 975 during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, according to an AFP tally based on security and medical officials. The month saw a number of deadly days, including July 23, when 113 people were killed and 259 wounded in a wave of attacks across the country, and August 16, when 82 were killed and 270 wounded. Ramadan, when observant Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex during the day, began on July 21 and ended for Iraqi Sunnis and some Shiites after sundown on August 18, and the rest the next night. Violence in Iraq is down from its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks remain common. 2007 saw particularly deadly bomb blasts targeting market squares in Bagdad's Shiite Sadr City neighbourhood, where many people were shopping for their fast-breaking meal. Official figures put the number of people killed this July at 325, the highest monthly death toll in almost two years.