Bomb Kills 12, Injures Two Dozen More In Yard During Iraqi Football Match

Police and medics said that "a bomb planted near a yard where people were playing football" in Iraq killed 12 people on Sunday, according to Kareem Raheem of REUTERS. A "further 24 people were wounded in the blast in the town of Nahrawan, south of the capital Baghdad." In recent days, men playing in local football fixtures and watching matches "have been the targets -- after spates of attacks on Sunni and Shi'ite mosques, markets and the security forces." The reason for targeting football players "is not clear" (REUTERS, 6/30). CNN reported May was the deadliest month in Iraq "since the peak of the sectarian violence" in '06 and '07. The bloodshed "comes amid a recent uptick in violence, much of it stemming from discord between Sunni and Shiite Muslims" (CNN, 6/30).