Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for deadly Eid attacks in Iraq

Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for deadly Eid attacks in Iraq

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, an Al-Qaeda front group, has claimed responsibility for the deadly string of attacks that shattered Iraq on Saturday, killing about 80 people and leaving over 200 wounded. "The Islamic State mobilized...in Baghdad and the southern states and others to convey a quick message of deterrence on the third day of Eid al-Fitr," a statement posted on jihadist forums said, according to AFP. The US earlier accused Al-Qaeda of the attack and offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the death or capture of the group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. At least 671 people were killed in Iraq this year during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, making it the bloodiest Ramadan in the country since 2007. Sectarian violence between Iraqi Shiites and Sunnis is again on the rise, fueled by attacks of Sunni Islamist militants aiming to undermine the Shia-led government.