Deadly blasts hit Iraq checkpoint
Two bombs have exploded near a checkpoint run by government-allied Sunni militiamen in western Iraq, killing at least 11 people in the latest strike by militants seeking to destabilise the country.
The twin blasts struck shortly before midday in the village of Zangoura, which is just south of the former insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, some 115 kms (70 miles) west of Baghdad, said police.
The checkpoint was manned by members of the Sahwa, who are Sunni militiamen that joined forces with US troops to fight al Qaida during the Iraq War. They remain on the Shiite-led central government’s payroll for security forces, making them an occasional target for Sunni insurgents who consider them traitors.
One bomb, apparently planted by the side of the road, was the source of the initial blast. A second explosion struck as villagers rushed to help the victims of the first blast, police said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but co-ordinated bombings and attacks on Sahwa members are frequently the work of al Qaida in Iraq.
Police and hospital officials said 22 people also were wounded the attack.
Iraq is in the midst of the deadliest and most sustained wave of violence to hit the country since 2008.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in bombings and other violent attacks since the start of April.
Earlier, Iraqi officials raised the death toll from a series of bombings yesterday that targeted football fans watching the Confederations Cup semi-final between Spain and Italy in cafes in and around Baghdad. They put the number of those killed at 36.
