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Iraqi officials say Monday's blasts hit near a mourning tent for one of four people killed two days before when gunmen shot up a store discretely selling liquor.
BAGHDAD — Two bombs that exploded inside a funeral tent in a mainly Sunni district of Baghdad killed at least 16 people on Monday, police and medical sources said.
The bombing in Adhamiya, which also wounded 30 people, is the third of its kind in a week to target funeral tents in Baghdad. An attack on the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City killed 85 people on Saturday.
Monday's blasts hit near a mourning tent for one of four people killed two days before when gunmen shot up a store discretely selling liquor in the Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah, the Associated Press reported.
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"Everyone was preparing for dinner before the first explosion happened, and when it happened and people gathered to investigate the situation, the second bomb blew up," said Hassan al-Quraishi, a policeman at the scene.
"Chaos swept the place. Pools of blood, body remains and shoes are covering the ground," Quraishi said.
Iraq's intercommunal balance has come under strain from the civil war in neighboring Syria, where mainly Sunni rebels are fighting to overthrow a leader backed by Shiite Iran.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for Monday's bombing but a Sunni insurgency, including al-Qaida's Iraqi wing, has intensified its attacks since the beginning of the year.
Shiites, security personnel government employees of both sects and governmental-backed Sunni "Sahwa" militia members are prime targets for al-Qaida and the Sunni insurgents. The United Nations mission in Iraq said about 800 Iraqis were killed in acts of violence in August.
Iraq has also witnessed several incidents in recent weeks suggesting that Shiite militias, which have so far largely refrained from retaliating, may once again be resorting to violence.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed reporting.
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BAGHDAD — Two bombs that exploded inside a funeral tent in a mainly Sunni district of Baghdad killed at least 16 people on Monday, police and medical sources said.
The bombing in Adhamiya, which also wounded 30 people, is the third of its kind in a week to target funeral tents in Baghdad. An attack on the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City killed 85 people on Saturday.
Monday's blasts hit near a mourning tent for one of four people killed two days before when gunmen shot up a store discretely selling liquor in the Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah, the Associated Press reported.
Related: Kenya crisis may up security at malls worldwide
"Everyone was preparing for dinner before the first explosion happened, and when it happened and people gathered to investigate the situation, the second bomb blew up," said Hassan al-Quraishi, a policeman at the scene.
"Chaos swept the place. Pools of blood, body remains and shoes are covering the ground," Quraishi said.
Iraq's intercommunal balance has come under strain from the civil war in neighboring Syria, where mainly Sunni rebels are fighting to overthrow a leader backed by Shiite Iran.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for Monday's bombing but a Sunni insurgency, including al-Qaida's Iraqi wing, has intensified its attacks since the beginning of the year.
Shiites, security personnel government employees of both sects and governmental-backed Sunni "Sahwa" militia members are prime targets for al-Qaida and the Sunni insurgents. The United Nations mission in Iraq said about 800 Iraqis were killed in acts of violence in August.
Iraq has also witnessed several incidents in recent weeks suggesting that Shiite militias, which have so far largely refrained from retaliating, may once again be resorting to violence.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed reporting.
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