Two suicide bombers have blown themselves up inside and near a Shia mosque in Baghdad, killing 26 people and wounding 55. Police said the first bomber detonated his explosives at a security checkpoint near the mosque in Baghdad’s northern Qahira neighbourhood, in an apparent attempt to distract the authorities. The district is a middle-class, Shia-majority neighbourhood. Amid the commotion, a second bomber slipped into the mosque and blew himself up while worshippers were performing midday prayers, according to police. Most of the casualties were among students from a nearby Imam al-Sadiq University for Islamic Studies. Police officials said the university’s Shia students usually perform their midday prayers in the targeted mosque. A medic in a nearby hospital confirmed the casualties in the attack. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to speak to media. Violence in Iraq has risen to levels not seen since 2008 – nearly 2,000 have been killed since the start of April, including more than 220 this month. On Sunday, a wave of apparently coordinated bombings and a shooting killed at least 51 people.
