Iraq Watch: November 24, 2006

Reprisal Attacks Sweep Baghdad

A day after suspected Sunni insurgents killed at least 215 Shiites in one of the largest attacks since the U.S.-led war began in March 2003, Shiite militiamen seeking revenge rampaged through several Sunni-dominated Baghdad neighborhoods.

At least 25 Sunnis were reported killed in Friday's attacks. The AP reports that six of those killed were soaked with kerosene and set alight as Iraqi security forces stood idly by.

The most intense clashes were reported in the capital's Hurriyah district where at least four Sunni mosques were burned. Meanwhile, for the second day in a row, militants mortared the Abu Hanifa mosque, Baghdad's most revered Sunni shrine.

Elsewhere, in the northern city of Tal Afar, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a car dealership. The blast killed at least 23 and wounded more than 40 others.

Iraq Watch: November 19, 2006

Suicide Bombing Rocks Hillah

A suicide bomber plowed an explosive-laden minivan into a crowd of day laborers early Sunday in the southern city of Hillah.

Early reports indicate that at least 22 people were killed and nearly 50 injured in the blast.

A predominately Shiite city, Hillah is situated about 60 miles south of Baghdad and serves as the capital of Babil province.

Long a holy city for Shiites, the Prophet Ezekiel is reputedly buried in one of Hillah's outlying villages.

Sunday is a workday for most Iraqis and AFP reports the bomber lured his victims to their deaths by posing as a contractor looking for help before detonating his payload.