Deaths in Iraq multiplying

This is not original reporting. All information has been compiled from the BBC World News. Silver Chips Online posts this news summary to provide readers with a forum for discussion.

Shiite Muslims bombed mosques and homes in the Sunni Arab area of Baghdad, killing at least 30 people in response to yesterday's bombing in the Shia Sadr City that left more than 200 Shiite Muslims dead, the most fatal attack since the 2003 US-led invasion.

The gunmen attacked four mosques in a Sunni area in the Hurriya neighborhood. The most serious damage happened after Friday prayers, when a mosque was burned down, and a rocket-propelled grenade exploded in another one. Two other mosques were spewed with bullets fired from AK-47 assault rifles. Six Sunnis were also reported to have been burned alive.

Local people said that although homes were still on fire, funerals were still taking place for those victims killed in the attacks.

The past few attacks have been the most devastating to date in Iraq. Police have reported that 25 Sunnis died, but a defense ministry official told French news agency, Agence France-Presse (AFP), that because the clashes were so intense, the precise number is difficult to obtain.

Other parts of Baghdad have also experienced attacks. On Friday, in Sadr City, a US helicopter fired on militiamen who were launching rocket attacks. In the northern town of Talafar a suspected double suicide bombing killed at least 22 people.

Images of the attacks can be seen here.