Reuters: World News: Iraqi al Qaeda claims country-wide bombing attacks

Reuters: World News Reuters.com is your source for breaking news, business, financial and investing news, including personal finance and stocks. Reuters is the leading global provider of news, financial information and technology solutions to the world's media, financial institutions, businesses and individuals. // via fulltextrssfeed.com

Iraqi al Qaeda claims country-wide bombing attacks Apr 20th 2012, 10:43 Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Police, protesters face off as Bahrain Grand Prix begins 6:24am EDT At least 36 killed in wave of Iraq blasts Thu, Apr 19 2012 Protests rage as Bahrain Grand Prix event to start Thu, Apr 19 2012 Haqqani network behind Afghan attacks: U.S. envoy Thu, Apr 19 2012 Karzai says NATO failed as 18-hour Kabul attack ends Tue, Apr 17 2012 Analysis & Opinion Did pro-India militias kill Western tourists in Kashmir? The large cracks in fortress Kabul Residents inspect the site of a bomb attack in Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, April 19, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Helmiy al-Azawi BAGHDAD | Fri Apr 20, 2012 6:43am EDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's affiliate in Iraq on Friday claimed responsibility for more than 20 bombings that hit cities and towns across the country the previous day, killing at least 36 and wounding almost 150. In a statement posted on an Islamist website, the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) group said it had carried out the attacks as a response to "the campaign of detentions, torture, siege and confiscation of lands in Sunni areas, especially (in) Baghdad and its outskirts." Thursday's attacks targeted towns and cities across Iraq, highlighting the threat al Qaeda and other militant groups continue to pose to security forces after the withdrawal of U.S. troops in mid-December. ISI's statement threatened more attacks in "the coming days". Heightened tension between Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds in the coalition government since U.S. troops withdrew has raised fears of a return to sectarian violence of the kind that pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war in 2006-07. The country is less violent than at the height of tensions then, but bombings and killings still occur daily, often aimed at Shi'ite areas and local security forces. The ISI last month claimed responsibility for dozens of bombings that killed at least 52 people across the country ahead of an Arab League summit in Baghdad. The ISI and Sunni Muslim insurgent groups say that they will not lay down their arms, despite the departure of U.S. forces, and will continue to battle the Shi'ite-led government. (Reporting by Raheem Salman; Writing by Barry Malone; Editing by Andrew Osborn) Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above.

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions