BAGHDAD — Suicide bomb blasts tore through crowds waiting for food aid in central Baghdad and inside a roadside restaurant filled with Iranian pilgrims Thursday, killing at least 78 people in Iraq’s deadliest day since March 8, 2008, when at least 110 people were killed.
The toll — at least 31 dead in Baghdad and 47 to the north in Diyala province — follows a series of high-profile attacks this month blamed on Sunni insurgents. The violence highlights potential security gaps as Iraqi forces increasingly take the lead role from U.S. forces.
Thursday’s attacks happened as American soldiers who specialize in clearing bombs from roads boarded a plane from Iraq to southern Afghanistan.
The carnage in Baghdad showed insurgents were still capable of hitting the center of the capital.
The devastated restaurant in Diyala province was a reminder that the area remains an insurgent stronghold despite offensives by U.S.-led forces. Diyala is a crucial gateway to the capital.
by the associated press
The toll — at least 31 dead in Baghdad and 47 to the north in Diyala province — follows a series of high-profile attacks this month blamed on Sunni insurgents. The violence highlights potential security gaps as Iraqi forces increasingly take the lead role from U.S. forces.
Thursday’s attacks happened as American soldiers who specialize in clearing bombs from roads boarded a plane from Iraq to southern Afghanistan.
The carnage in Baghdad showed insurgents were still capable of hitting the center of the capital.
The devastated restaurant in Diyala province was a reminder that the area remains an insurgent stronghold despite offensives by U.S.-led forces. Diyala is a crucial gateway to the capital.
by the associated press
