Baghdad car bomb kills at least four

A car bomb killed four people in Baghdad's northern Kadhimiya district today, police said, marring what had been a relatively…

A car bomb killed four people in Baghdad's northern Kadhimiya district today, police said, marring what had been a relatively violence-free Eid al-Fitr holiday for the Iraqi capital.

The district is home to the shrine of a revered Shia imam and has often been targeted in the continuing sectarian violence between Iraq's majority Shia Muslims and Sunni Arabs.

Violence has dropped dramatically as Iraqis celebrate the holiday, which marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and is a national holiday in Iraq.

Sunni Islamist al-Qaeda had vowed to step up attacks during Ramadan, and there was an upsurge in bombings and shootings in Iraq earlier in the week.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter