Sign up for a free trial of News Direct's animated news graphics at [ Ссылка ]
At least 16 people were killed and 41 were wounded during a suicide bomb attack on a crowded cafe in Balad, roughly 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad on Monday. The attack was part of the worst wave of violence in Iraq in around five years. Separately, a roadside bomb planted near a playground, and another near a school, killed six people and injured dozens, some children. According to police, there was also another incident on Monday where gunmen near the city of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, intercepted a car carrying three soldiers who were on their way to join their unit, and shot them dead.
According to Reuters, the attacks on the cafe, playground and school "underlined a shift in tactics by suspected Islamist militants, who are increasingly targeting not only military checkpoints and marketplaces, but also cafes and recreational areas used by families and children.
"The latest bloodshed came as al Qaeda claimed responsibility for weekend bombings across Iraq which killed dozens of people during Eid al-Fitr, the festive end to the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, heightening fears of even wider sectarian slaughter.
"The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), formed earlier this year through a merger of al Qaeda's affiliates in Syria and Iraq, said on jihadist forums it was behind the attacks across Baghdad and southern provinces on Saturday.
"It also warned the government to stop arresting suspected militants or face more violence.
"It has been one of the deadliest Ramadan holidays in years in Iraq, where Sunni Islamist militants are waging an insurgency against the Shi'ite-led government."
