Accessibility links

Breaking News

Iraqi al-Qaeda Group Claims Attack Responsibility


Iraqi Christian lawmaker, Younadem Kana, center left, Iraq's top Catholic prelate, Chaldean Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, center, and Bishop Shlimone Wardoni, center right, are seen outside Our Lady of Deliverance church the morning after its congregation
Iraqi Christian lawmaker, Younadem Kana, center left, Iraq's top Catholic prelate, Chaldean Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, center, and Bishop Shlimone Wardoni, center right, are seen outside Our Lady of Deliverance church the morning after its congregation

Al-Qaida's front group in Iraq has claimed responsibility for a string of attacks on Baghdad's Shi'ite districts this week that left at least 64 dead and 360 wounded.

In a statement posted Friday on a militant website, the Islamic State of Iraq is threatening more attacks on the country's Shi'ite majority.

The statement says the assault Tuesday on Shi'ite civilians at restaurants and cafes across the capital was "the first day of many bloody days to come."

The Islamic State of Iraq is an umbrella group that includes al-Qaida in Iraq and other Sunni insurgent factions.

The group this week also threatened more attacks on Christians, after it took responsibility for a shocking siege at a Baghdad church during Sunday Mass that left 58 people dead.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

XS
SM
MD
LG