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Iraq
15 Dead in Iraq Attacks, Bomb at Football Pitch
2013-07-01
[An Nahar] A string of attacks across Iraq killed 15 people Sunday, including nine in a bombing at a football pitch, the latest in a spate of blasts targeting Iraqis playing and watching the sport.

The deaths are part of a surge in violence that comes as Iraq grapples with months of protests by the Sunni Arab community and protracted political deadlock.

Analysts warn there may be no respite before general elections next year.

Attacks on Sunday struck in djinn-infested Mosul, Dawr, Sharqat and Hilla, but the deadliest violence hit the capital.

At 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) in the Nahrawan neighborhood of southeast Storied Baghdad
...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate...
, a bomb went off as a group of youths were playing football at a popular pitch.

The blast killed nine and maimed 25 others, an interior ministry official and a medical source said.

Most of the victims were boys under the age of 16, the sources said.

The bombing was the latest in a string of attacks targeting football pitches and cafes broadcasting matches in this football-mad country where Iraqis closely follow not only the national team, but also an array of other international and club competitions.

Including Sunday's attack, more than 50 people have been killed in at least 10 such bombings in cities in and around Storied Baghdad, but also in northern Iraq, according to an Agence La Belle France Presse tally.
Posted by:Fred

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