This Article is From Aug 12, 2013

Al Qaeda claims Eid holiday bombings in Iraq

Al Qaeda claims Eid holiday bombings in Iraq

Picture of the remains of a vehicle at the scene of a car bomb explosion in Nasiriyah, south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad

Baghdad: An Al Qaeda affiliate said it carried out Saturday's bombings in Iraq, which killed dozens of people, in response to a government arrest campaign, the SITE Monitoring group reported today.

The statement from Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), posted on Jihadist forums, claimed responsibility for the attacks across Baghdad and in provinces in southern Iraq targeting people celebrating the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, SITE said.

An insurgency by Sunni Islamist militants, including the local branch of Al Qaeda, against Iraq's Shi'ite-led government, has been gaining momentum eighteen months since the last US troops withdrew.

© Thomson Reuters 2013
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