Several explosions kill 58 in Iraq
BAGHDAD -- Eighteen explosions, mainly from car bombs, ripped through marketplaces, parking lots, a cafe and rush-hour crowds yesterday, killing 58 people and pushing the country's death toll for July toward the 700 mark, officials said.
The bombings are part of a wave of bloodshed that has swept the country since April, killing 3,000 people and worsening the strained ties between the Sunni minority and the Shia-led government. The scale and pace of the violence, unseen since the darkest days of the country's insurgency, have fanned fears of a return to the widespread sectarian bloodletting that pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
The month's death toll is now 680, according to an Associated Press count. Most of those have come during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of dawn-to-dusk fasting that began July 10, making it Iraq's bloodiest since 2007.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for yesterday's attacks, but the Interior Ministry blamed al-Qaida's Iraqi branch and accused it of trying to widen the rift between Sunnis and Shias. -- AP
Sarra Sounds Off Ep. 35: EI baseball, girls lacrosse and plays of the week On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," we look at East Islip baseball's inspirational comeback story, Jared Valluzzi has the plays of the week and Tess Ferguson breaks down the top defensive players in girls lacrosse.
Sarra Sounds Off Ep. 35: EI baseball, girls lacrosse and plays of the week On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," we look at East Islip baseball's inspirational comeback story, Jared Valluzzi has the plays of the week and Tess Ferguson breaks down the top defensive players in girls lacrosse.
