Car Bombs Kill 41 in Iraq

Iraqi police sources say car bombing attacks in Baghdad and northern Iraq killed at least 41 people on Monday.

Photo: Car Bombs Kill 41 in Iraq

According to Reuters, two truck bombs killed 25 people and injured 75 near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. The bombs destroyed about 30 homes in the village of Khazna, 20 km north of Mosul, Al-Bawaba reports.

The bombings come days after five attacks mostly aimed at Shia targets killed 50 people and wounded 154 on Friday. In the main attack in Mosul, a suicide car bomb exploded near a Shiite mosque where a funeral was taking place, killing 38.

Last week's attacks occurred at the end of a Shiite Muslim celebration marking the birthday of Imam al-Mahdi, the last of 12 historic imams revered by Shiites. Pilgrims participating in such celebrations have been the target of similar attacks by Sunnis, CNN reports.

The attacks are likely to heighten tensions between Kurds and Arabs over the hotly contested areas surrounding Mosul, where Kurdish peshmerga militias are currently in control. The Sunni Arab governor of Ninevah has been pushing to deploy the Iraqi army in the area, The Los Angeles Times reports.