carblastbaghdad_afp670
Iraqi residents stand next to a damaged vehicle at the scene of a car bomb blast in Baghdad. — File Photo by AFP

BAGHDAD: A wave of attacks in Baghdad and north of the Iraqi capital killed at least 17 people and wounded 168 others on Wednesday, security and medical officials said.

The deadliest attack struck in the ethnically-mixed northern city of Kirkuk where a car bomb detonated by a suicide attacker killed at least 10 people and wounded 140 others, according to provincial health chief Sadiq Omar Rasul.

Another suicide car bombing in the town of Tuz Khurmatu, meanwhile, killed two people and wounded 26 others, officials said, while three separate attacks in Baghdad left five people dead.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The latest attacks come a day after the killing of a Sunni Iraqi MP in a suicide attack west of Baghdad, with Ayfan al-Essawi's funeral expected to be held in Fallujah later on Wednesday.

The violence comes amid a political crisis that has pitted Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki against his erstwhile government partners just months ahead of key provincial elections.

Opinion

Budgeting without people

Budgeting without people

Even though the economy is a critical issue, discussions about it involve a select few who are not really interested in communicating with the people.

Editorial

Iranian tragedy
Updated 21 May, 2024

Iranian tragedy

Due to Iran’s regional and geopolitical influence, the world will be watching the power transition carefully.
Circular debt woes
21 May, 2024

Circular debt woes

THE alleged corruption and ineptitude of the country’s power bureaucracy is proving very costly. New official data...
Reproductive health
21 May, 2024

Reproductive health

IT is naïve to imagine that reproductive healthcare counts in Pakistan, where women from low-income groups and ...
Wheat price crash
Updated 20 May, 2024

Wheat price crash

What the government has done to Punjab’s smallholder wheat growers by staying out of the market amid crashing prices is deplorable.
Afghan corruption
20 May, 2024

Afghan corruption

AMONGST the reasons that the Afghan Taliban marched into Kabul in August 2021 without any resistance to speak of ...
Volleyball triumph
20 May, 2024

Volleyball triumph

IN the last week, while Pakistan’s cricket team savoured a come-from-behind T20 series victory against Ireland,...