At least 30 people were killed on Friday in a bomb blast targeting a Sunni mosque in central Iraq — the latest in an upsurge of sectarian violence in the country.
The bombing, which also injured 35 others, occurred as worshippers were leaving the mosque in Baquba, some 57 kilometres north-east of the capital Baghdad, police said.
In the mainly Sunni western province of Anbar, head of the local council Sabah Karhut survived an assassination bid, reported the independent broadcaster Alsumaria TV, citing security officials.
A roadside bomb targeted Karhut’s convoy, injuring three of his bodyguards.
There has been a sharp rise in violence in Iraq in recent months.
The United Nations said that 1,057 people were killed in July, the deadliest month in more than five years, while at least 916 civilians were killed in August.
