Deadly car bomb attacks shatter Iraq’s Eid celebrations

Nine separate explosions targeted markets and busy shopping streets in mainly Shi’ite areas across Baghdad on Saturday, sources said.

Iraqi police and medical workers said 50 people were killed in the Baghdad attacks, and another 140 wounded.

Outside Baghdad, a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb in the town of Tuz Khurmato, killing ten people and wounding 45. Tuz Khurmato is located in a particularly violent region over which both the central government and autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan claim jurisdiction.

Video: Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr

Police believe the bomber was trying to reach the local headquarters of a Kurdish political party, but was unable to reach the building because of increased security in the area, a police source said.

Attacks by Sunni militants against Iraq’s Shi’ite-led government and the Shi’ite community have dramatically multiplied since the start of the year. More than 1,000 people were killed in attacks in July – the highest monthly total since the start of 2008.

On Tuesday a series of car bomb attacks in Baghdad killed 25 people and wounded around 50.