At Least 70 Martyred, 170 Injured in Baghdad Mainly Shiite Areas

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - At least 70 people have been martyred and more than 170 injured in 21 bomb attacks that rocked the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad, local sources say.The explosions tore into busy markets and shopping areas in mainly Shia districts across Baghdad on Monday.The blasts come one day after over a dozen people lost their lives in a series of cross-country attacks, including a deadly explosion on the highway from Balad to Samarra in north of the capital that killed five Iranian pilgrims.The bombings occurred in areas of Kathimiya, Habibya, al-Shaab, Sabee al-Bour , al-Maalef , al-Sedriya , Jeser Diyala and Bayah in a sign of escalating violence in the country.Two car bombs exploded in Habibya area, killing at least 8 people and dozens were injured. News often conflict after any bombing in Iraq.An official source said that “The attacks targeted Shia specific areas in an attempt to ignite sectarian strife in the country.The majority of attacks occur mostly in the morning hours. It is believed that al-Qaeda and some other extremist groups are behind the attacks.Another source, who asked for anonymity, that four civilians were killed and 12 wounded by a car bomb explosion near a popular market in Sedriya area.Baladiyat, Kefah, al-Joumhoriya and al-Shorja areas have also witnessed car bomb explosions; no one claimed the responsibility of the attacks.On the number of the killed, the security official said that the number of dead people reached 70 till now while the injured to 150 at least.While a security source said that “the involved in Baghdad al-Jadida aera explosion was arrested near the incident location, but didn’t give any more details.More than 400 people have been killed and hundreds more injured in bombings and others acts of violence in Iraq since the start of May.This comes as the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said on May 2 that April was the deadliest month in Iraq since 2008 as terrorist attacks killed over 700 people and injured more than 1,600 others across the country.UNAMI also stated that Baghdad was the worst affected governorate, with a total of 211 killed and nearly 500 injured.Violence has increased in Iraq since December 2011, when an arrest warrant was issued for the fugitive Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, who has been charged with running a death squad targeting Iraqi officials and Shia Muslims. /129