Iraq Car Bomb Attacks Rattle Baghdad, Kill Dozens

Iraq car bomb attacks across the nation’s capitol claimed almost 40 lives and injured a number of bystanders on Monday.

At least ten separate explosions rippled across Baghdad, continuing into the night. Many of the bombs were planted in market areas and Shiite-dominated neighborhoods.

The worst of the attacks occurred in a business area, when two car bombs exploded within minutes of each other in western Baghdad. Eight people were killed and 21 were left injured, said sources at The Guardian.

Another bomb detonated in a nearby commercial area, claiming four lives.

Just after sunset two bombs went off near two market areas in Shiite neighborhoods. A third car bomb, near a bus stop, went off minutes later. Nine lives were claimed in this cluster of explosions, and dozens wounded.

Several other car bombs were detonated in Shiite-dominated or mixed neighborhoods, claiming more lives, within hours of the other attacks.

With glass and blood covering streets holding crowds of civilians only hours before, Baghdad is struggling to cope with Monday’s trauma and bracing for more possible attacks.

Though no group has come forward to claim responsibility, these attacks come as the latest in sectarian violence that erupted in Iraq earlier this year. The rise in militant attacks and bombs have, so far, claimed an estimated 2,000 lives.

Iraq-based militants affiliated with Al Qaeda are suspected of being behind Monday’s bombings, say sources at Reuters.

Iraqi authorities also reported two other militant attacks Monday, in Tikrit and Mosul. Both involved suicide attackers, who managed to kill several security forces and injure civilians.

These attacks take the death toll from the Monday violence in Iraq to over 40.

The series of Iraq car bomb attacks coincide with the Shiite festival of Shabaniyah, which sees tens of thousand of Shia Muslims traveling through and staying in the Baghdad area every year.

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