People gather at the site of car bomb attack in Baghdad, Jan. 15, 2014.
Bombs ripped through busy markets and a funeral north of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 41 and wounding dozens more.
The attacks, which occurred mostly in and around Baghdad, come as tribal militias are fighting to regain ground in key cities in western Anbar Province, which were overrun by al Qaeda-linked militants two weeks ago. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the latest bombings.
The deadliest attack, which occurred in Buhriz, a town about 35 miles north of Baghdad, struck a funeral for an anti-al-Qaeda Sunni militiaman who, according to the AP, died of natural causes. The bombing killed 16 people and wounded more than two dozen, according to a police officer. Meanwhile, several car bombs in Baghdad killed at least 25 and wounded dozens.
Last year was the bloodiest year in Iraq since the withdrawal of U.S. troops; according to U.N. figures, 8,868 were killed in attacks. According to an AP tally, 285 have been killed in the past two weeks.
[AP]