At least 103 killed in Iraq bomb attacks, gunfire
A triple bombing in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad has left at least 85 people dead and more than 176 others wounded.
The attacks occurred around late on Saturday at a funeral in Sadr City, the eastern suburb district of Baghdad, said reports.
First a car bomb was detonated near a tent where a funeral was being held. Then a suicide bomber blew himself up as he drove a car into the the crowd. A third explosion occurred after police and emergency workers had rushed to the scene.
Earlier on Saturday, 2 policemen were killed by gunfire in Mosul, 1 person in Kirkuk, 4 Sahwa members in Shirqat, 1 person in Saadiya and 1 other in Basra, according to Iraq Body Count.
The latest incidents raise the September casualties so far to 815 civilians killed, and more than 2,000 others wounded.
According to information collected by UNAMI, a minimum of 804 Iraqis were killed and another 2,030 were wounded in acts of terrorism and violence in August, 2013.
The number of civilians killed was 716 (including 106 civilian police), while the number of civilians injured was 1,936 (including 195 civilian police). A further 88 members of the Iraqi Security Forces were killed and 94 were injured.
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Nairobi terror: Militants kill dozens, hold hostages in mall siege
Death toll in Nairobi mall attack has climbed to at least 59 with more than 175 others wounded after militants stormed an upscale shopping mall in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, said a senior government official on Sunday.
The scene of the siege, Westgate Mall, is situated in Nairobi’s affluent Westlands area and is frequented by wealthy Kenyans and expatriates, reports said.
“Cabinet Secretary in charge of Internal Security Joseph Ole Lenku told journalists in Nairobi that the security operation to free hostages who are still trapped inside the Westgate Mall will continue,” said a report.
“Regrettably, the human loss in the attack also went up overnight. The number of our dead has risen to 59. The number of injured has also risen to 175. Many of the injured were taken to local hospitals, treated and discharged,” he told journalists.
“We have established the location of the criminals. It’s a delicate balance and we want to evacuate the hostages safely. We believe there are some people in the building that is why I said the operation is still delicate.”
The police have so far managed to evacuate more than 1,000 people from the mall overnight, but an unknown number of others are still in the mall. “The operation is in a very delicate stage. Our paramount responsibility is to ensure that our people still held in the Mall come out alive. Our commitment is to save lives,” he said.
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Dozens Killed in Pakistan Church Attack
Two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside a church in Pakistani city of Peshawar as people were coming out after Sunday Mass, killing at least 60 people and leaving more than 100 others wounded, officials said.
About 1.6% of the Pakistani population, or 2,800,000 people, are Christians.
The overwhelming majority of the Pakistani Christians are converts from the low caste Hindus from Punjab region, from the British colonial era.
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