Al Qaeda claims responsibility for Iraq bombings

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Aug 30, 2013 3:12am EDT

(Reuters) - An al Qaeda affiliate claimed responsibility for a series of bombings in Baghdad and other areas of Iraq in retaliation for the execution of Sunni Muslim prisoners, according to an Internet statement on Friday.

Hundreds of people have been killed in attacks across Iraq in recent weeks in the worst wave of sectarian bloodshed in the country for at least five years. Just last week, car bombs, roadside bombs and shootings have killed at least 100 people.

The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) said in a statement it had acted in response to the prisoner killings, an apparent reference to the execution of 17 people in Iraq this month, most convicted on terrorism charges.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/30/us-iraq-attacks-claim-idUSBRE97T07A20130830