Shia Pilgrims Killed in Iraq Bombings

Several bomb attacks across the nation of Iraq have claimed the lives of at least 17 Shia pilgrims, with the worst attack in the north of Baghdad in which 7 pilgrims were killed on their way to Samarra.

Though no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks yet, it is believed to be the work of Sunni insurgents.

Relations between Shia and Sunni Muslims living in Iraq have worsened over the past few months, mainly due to the political tensions arising from a Shia-dominated Iraqi government. The Shia are the majority of Muslims in Iraq, accounting for some 65% of the Muslim population, and religious and ethnic tensions often arise between the two groups because of the persecution of Shiite communities during the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.

 

[BBC]