Iraq mosque bombing kills 15, wounds 50

A bomb has exploded inside a Sunni mosque in central Iraq during midday prayers, killing at least 15 people.

Suicide attacks, car bombings and other violence have killed nearly 200 people since the faithful began daytime fasting to mark the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which started earlier in July.

The violence is an extension of a surge that has ripped through Iraq for months, reviving fears of a return to the widespread sectarian bloodshed that pushed the country to the brink of civil war after the 2003 US-led invasion.

Provincial councilman Sadiq al-Huusseini said the explosion hit the Abu Bakir al-Sideeq mosque in the town of Wijaihiya, about 55 km north-east of Baghdad. He said it killed 15.

Police and hospital officials confirmed the death toll. They also reported that more than 50 were wounded in the explosion, and warned that the number of dead could rise.

Violence across Iraq has risen sharply since a heavy-handed crackdown by security forces on a Sunni protest camp in the northern town of Hawija on April 23. That raid followed months of rallies by Iraq’s minority Sunnis against the Shiite-led government over what they contend is second-class treatment and the unfair use of tough anti-terrorism measures against their sect.

The surge in bloodshed has left more than 2,800 people dead and many more wounded since the start of April.

Attacks on Sunni mosques, for years a relatively rare target in Iraq, have picked up significantly in recent months.