BAGHDAD ( At Least 25 Dead in Sunni Mosque Explosion in Iraq )

BAGHDAD – At least 25 people died and more than 80 were wounded when a bomb went off in a Sunni Muslim mosque near the city of Baquba, an Iraqi security forces official told Efe.

The official, who at first reported 15 people killed, said the explosion was detonated in the Abu Bakir al-Sideeq Mosque in Wijaihiya.

Among those wounded in the attack, unleashed as dozens of the faithful were gathered for Friday prayers, 27 are in grave condition.

Wijaihiya and other areas northeast of Baquba have been the scene of armed attacks in recent days, perpetrated by Shi’ite Muslim militias, which have left dozens of victims and displaced persons.

Terrorist attacks and sectarian violence have increased in Iraq since July 10, the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Last Friday at least 10 people died and another 20 were wounded by an explosive device that went off in a Shi’ite mosque north of Baghdad.

The UN representative in Iraq, Martin Kobler, said this week that the past four months have been the bloodiest in five years, with a total of 3,000 dead and 7,000 wounded. EFE