Iraq: Bombing in ethnic minority village kills 15

[October 17, 2013]  BAGHDAD (AP) -- A suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden car among houses in an ethnic minority village in northern Iraq on Thursday, killing at least 15 people and extending a wave of bloodshed that has gripped the country.

The bombing happened in the Shabak village of al-Mouafaqiyah near the restive city of Mosul, 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad, according to police officials.

The force of the blast leveled houses in the community and wounded at least 52 people, according to the officials. Rescue workers were searching the rubble to look for additional survivors who may be trapped underneath.

The attack comes as Muslims around the world this week mark the major religious holiday of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice. It is often a time for family celebrations and outings.

Hospital officials confirmed the casualties. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information.

Iraq's small Shabak community is mostly concentrated around Mosul, the provincial capital of the ethnically mixed Ninevah province, which is predominantly Sunni Muslim. Many were driven out of the city by Sunni militants during the sectarian fighting that raged after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

The Shabak have their own distinct language and are primarily Shiite Muslim.

It is the second time the minority has been attacked in as many months. A suicide attack at a funeral in another Shabak village near Mosul in September killed at least 20 people.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, though suicide bombings and car bombings are a favorite tactic of Al-Qaida's local branch. It frequently targets Shiites, whom it considers heretics, and those seen as closely allied to the Shiite-led government in Baghdad.

Thursday's attack follows a car bombing in a Shiite village outside Mosul that is inhabited by ethnic Turkomen on Oct. 6. That blast, near a school in the small village of Qabak, killed 15, including a dozen children and their school principal.

Iraq's third-largest city, Mosul, and the area around it have long been a hotbed for hard-to-rout Sunni insurgents.

[Associated Press; By ADAM SCHRECK]

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