Iraq Bomb Attacks Leaves at Least 34 Dead
Two bomb attacks killed at least 34 people and injured dozens in and around Baghdad Monday.
The first attack, let off by a suicide bomber, killed 24 people. The bomber drove a Humvee -- most likely stolen from defeated government troops -- through a checkpoint 30 miles south of Baghdad, near Jurf al-Sakhar.
The second attack, a car bombing inside the capital, killed at least 10 people and injured dozens. This one happened near shops and restaurants in the Karrada district of downtown Baghdad.
The first attack targeted Iraqi security forces and Shiite militiamen who were manning the checkpoint. The BBC reported that the attackers are believed to be militants from Islamic State, who lost control of the town to government-led forces over the weekend.
Reports on who is responsible for the second attack have not been confirmed.
The first attack happened in a place that was seized by the Sunni extremist group IS this summer. The group gained control over a lot of the territory which also spread through parts of Syria and northern Iraq.
Government forces and allied militia have spent months trying to take back control of the town, according to the BBC. The U.S. has been carrying out air strikes since August to help Iraqi and Kurdish security forces drive back IS.
Iraqi soldiers and Shiite militia regained control over the town Sunday.
Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called for Shiite militias to join government forces to fight IS.
IS threw Iraq into its worst crisis since U.S. troops left in 2011. It currently holds about a third of neighboring Syria.
According to Fox News, on Monday, U.S. Central Command said American and coalition aircraft conducted seven airstrikes using both jets and drones since Sunday, targeting areas around Fallujah, Mosul Dam, Zumar and around the country's Beiji refinery.
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