Bombers Target Iraqi Christian Students, Injure Dozens
Two bombs exploded Sunday near buses carrying Christian students in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, killing at least one bystander and injuring around 100.
Abdul-Rahim al-Shammari, the head of the provincial council's security committee, said the deceased was a shop owner in the area and that the injured included students and other civilians.
The attack, which began with a roadside bomb that exploded around 7:30 a.m., appeared to target buses carrying students from the mainly Christian town of Hamdaniya to Mosul University.
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"All of them were Christian students," reported Nissan Karoumi, mayor of Hamdaniya. "They go in buses like that to Mosul's university after the troubled times when Christians were targeted in the past."
According to reports, tensions have risen since a March 7 parliamentary election produced no clear winner and left a power vacuum as political factions jockey for position in a new government.
Sunni Muslim insurgents have frequently targeted members of Iraq's Christian minority, especially in Mosul, which is home to a large Christian community. Some extremist Sunnis consider Christians to be supporters of the Shiite-led government they oppose.
