Iraq Attacks Leave Nearly 70 Dead

A woman reacts at the site of a suicide bomb attack on Shi'ite mosque in Mussayab, south of Baghdad, on September 30.

Attacks in Iraq over the weekend killed nearly 70 people.

In the bloodiest incident, a suicide bomber blew himself up among a crowd of Shi'te pilgrims in Baghdad on October 5. Police said at least 48 people were killed.

The pilgrims were targeted as they passed through the mainly Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah.

In the mainly Shi'ite town of Balad, north of Baghdad, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a cafe, killing at least 13 people and wounding 22.

Earlier on the same day, gunmen shot dead a reporter and cameraman for the al-Sharqiya TV channel while they were on assignment in the northern city of Mosul. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for any of the attacks.

Al-Qaeda's Iraq branch often uses suicide bombers and targets Shi'ite civilians in a bid to undermine confidence in the Shi'ite-led government.

Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP