Wave of blasts targets Iraqi Shia neighborhoods, killing at least 28

A wave of car bombings in mostly Shia areas in Baghdad killed at least 28 people on Tuesday, officials said, as the group was celebrating an important holiday. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, which bore the hallmarks of Al-Qaeda-linked fighters.

Iraqi Shia were commemorating the birthday of Imam Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad and Shia Islam’s most sacred martyr.

A car bomb exploded in the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City in the morning house, killing four and wounding six, police said. A second car bomb blast hit the same neighborhood, killing two and wounding seven.

Another car bomb hit a commercial street in the capital’s eastern district of Jamila, killing three and wounding 10. Police said a fourth car bomb went off near a traffic police office in eastern Baghdad, killing four — including a traffic policeman — and wounding seven.

Haithem Kadhum, owner of a juice shop in Jamila who was wounded in the attack there, said he was in his store when he heard an explosion. He was told the bomb hit his home neighborhood in Sadr City so he rushed to check on his family. As he drove, another bomb exploded near him and wounded him with shrapnel.

“I was wounded in my right shoulder. I went out of the car and I saw dead and wounded people on the ground. Everybody was in panic,” Kadhum said.

Additional bomb blasts in downtown Baghdad, Shia eastern district of Ur, Shia suburb of Maamil, and Baghdad’s southern Dora district killed at least 15 people and wounded at least 45.

Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

United Nations figures show that at least 8,868 people were killed last year in Iraq — the country’s highest death toll since the peak of sectarian violence in 2007 and 2008.

Sunni armed groups have been battling the Shia-led government, using attacks on civilians to undermine confidence in the country’s leadership. Such attacks have increased along with Sunni anger over perceived mistreatment, military attacks on Sunni strongholds and random arrests by the government.

Al Jazeera and wire services