At least 27 killed, 50 wounded in new Iraq bombingsSeptember 4, 2013 - 11:27 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - At least 27 people were killed and more than 50 others were wounded Tuesday, Sept 3 when nine car bombs exploded in largely Shiite areas in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The attacks unfolded within an hour shortly before sunset, police said, according to CNN. The explosions took place in Karrada, al-Alam, Talbiya, Abu Dsheer, Al-Maamil, Zafaraniya, al-Shurta Rabaa and Skaniya, police said. The deadliest attack was in al-Shurta Rabaa, in southwestern Baghdad when a car bomb in a busy shopping area killed six people and wounded 12 others. At dawn, gunmen stormed a house of a Sunni family in Arab-Jabour district in southern Baghdad and shot dead five family members, police said. The United Nations said about 800 Iraqis were killed in August. Most of the 804 killed were civilians, targeted in shootings and bombings mainly claimed by the Iraqi wing of al Qaeda. More than 2,000 people were wounded. The number of people who were killed last month was however lower than in July, when the UN reported that there were 1,057 victims, the highly monthly toll since 2008. Violence in Iraq was at its height in 2006-2007 when the number of people killed per month sometimes exceeded 3,000. Nearly 5,000 civilians have been killed and 12,000 wounded since the beginning of 2013, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said in a statement, according to Reuters. In August, Baghdad was once again the most affected governate, accounting for more than a third of those killed nationwide, the UN said. Since 2008 violence has decreased and a rise in oil revenues has helped to boost the economy. But eighteen months since U.S. troop withdrew, bombing campaigns have increased. Insurgents have been invigorated by the sectarian conflict in neighboring Syria and have profited from rising political tensions in Iraq. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Power of One Dram sums up two-year program with Teach for Armenia Idram Junior also joined the companies during the visit, bringing with it a fascinating intellectual game for children Moscow slams EU mission in Armenia for “provocative activity” The EU mission is doing more and more against Armenia’s neighbors Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, Mikhail Galuzin said. Yerevan Mayor to travel to Paris on May 15-19 The official delegation headed by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan will travel to Paris from May 15 to 19. Armenia, India hold first defense consultations The meeting was attended by Indian Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha and Defense Attaché Brigadier General Naveen Nijhawan. |