Suicide bombs kill at least 55 in Iraq

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

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At least 100 people were wounded in the attack at the Imam Moussa al-Kadhim shrine in the Shi'ite neighbourhood of Kadhimiya, a frequent target of insurgent groups, Reuters also reported citing police.
   
The blasts on the Muslim holy day followed two suicide attacks on Thursday, one in Baghdad and the other in the northeastern province of Diyala, in which at least 89 people died. It appeared to be the highest daily toll in over a year.
   
The attacks are coinciding with rising fears of a resurgence in violence as U.S. combat troops prepare to pull out of Iraqi cities in June, ahead of a full U.S. withdrawal by the end of 2011, and doubts that Iraqi police and soldiers will manage to secure the country.
   
While the violence unleashed in Iraq by the 2003 U.S.-led invasion has fallen dramatically over the past year, insurgent groups like al Qaeda continue to carry out frequent attacks. Suicide bombings are a hallmark of Sunni Islamist al Qaeda.
   
Iraqi authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of a suspected leader of an al Qaeda-affiliated insurgent group, but neither they nor the U.S. military were able to confirm the identity of the person on Friday.

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