BAGHDAD — Two bombings in Iraq’s capital targeted Shia Muslims on an annual pilgrimage, killing at least 15 people and injuring 38 others, Al Jazeera reported.
One of the attacks on Monday hit a checkpoint in the Saiydiyah district along a route pilgrims use to travel to the city of Karbala for the “Arbaeen” commemoration. Nine people were killed in the attack and 21 others were injured. Four soldiers are among the dead, according to the Associated Press.
Another blast struck pilgrims in the city’s northern Shaab neighbourhood, killing at least six and injuring 17 others, police said.
No groups have claimed responsibility for the blasts. They were the first attacks on Shia pilgrims in Baghdad before Arbaeen, which is often marked by violence despite tight security measures to protect the pilgrims, the AP reported.
Arbaeen marks 40 days after Ashoura, the anniversary commemorating the slaying of Imam Hussein by the armies of the caliph Yazid in 680 AD.
On Monday, Iraq’s military broadcast a statement that civilians should leave Ramadi, an ISIS-controlled city 70 miles west of Baghdad. The warning indicates that an operation to retake the city could soon be underway. ISIS captured Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, in May.
The U.S.-led coalition carried out seven airstrikes near the city on Saturday, targeting ISIS fighters, positions and weapons stores.
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