Two bomb attacks in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad and Baqouba on Thursday left at least seven people dead.
In Baghdad’s predominately Shia district of Hurriyah, a car bomb exploded close to a bus stop packed with commuters. According to police, five people died in the blast and a further 15 were injured.
In Baqouba, a city located around 35 miles (60km) northeast of the capital, the convoy of Fadhil al Dulami, the head of Diyala University, was hit by a roadside bomb. A local police official told press (on condition of anonymity) that Mr Dulaimi was not hurt in the attack, but two of his bodyguards were killed and two others wounded. The casualty figures were confirmed by hospital which the casualties were taken to.
There has so far been no claim of responsibility for the attacks.
Protests by members of Iraq’s minority Sunni community, who are unhappy with the country’s Shi’ite dominated government, have been on the rise in recent months. The civil war in neighbouring Syria, which is pitting Sunni rebels against a Shi’ite government, is also stocking sectarian tensions within Iraq.
