At least twelve people have been killed and several others injured after a bomb explosion ripped through a crowd of worshipers leaving a Sunni mosque in northern Iraq, media reports citing local officials said Tuesday.
The bomb exploded outside the Qodus mosque in the ethnically-mixed northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, which is contested by Arab Sunnis, Kurds and Shiite Turkmen. At least 24 people were injured in the explosion.
The incident happened on the start of the the Eid al-Adha holiday, which commemorates the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son at God's command. Eid al-Adha, which is one of the most important Muslim holidays of the year, marks the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca
It is not clear who was responsible for the bombing, which came amidst fears that the Middle East nation may be returning to the high levels of Sunni-Shiite sectarian violence witnessed at the height of insurgency between 2006 and 2007.
Iraq's Sunni minority accuses the Shiite-led government of marginalizing and targeting their community. Tensions between the two Muslim communities have been high after the army raided a Sunni Arab anti-government protest camp near Hawija in April. It is estimated that at least 5,000 people have died in sectarian violence in Iraq since the beginning of this year.
There has been a notable increase in sectarian violence after US combat forces left Iraq at the end of 2011. The last of US combat troops left the country late December 2011, ending a decade-long American military presence after the 2003 invasion of the oil-rich Middle East nation.
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May 08, 2026 15:50 ET Manufacturing and services sector survey results and labor market data from main economies were the highlight on the economics news front this week. Factory orders and jobs report dominated the news flow in the U.S. Similarly, industrial production data from German garnered attention in Europe. In Asia, purchasing managers’ survey results from China and the central bank decision from Australia were in focus.