Baghdad attacks kill 70 in three days

IRAQ: A string of attacks against Shiite pilgrims in the past three days killed 70 people in Baghdad, security officials said Thursday, highlighting insurgents' continued ability to inflict bloodshed.

The death toll was another blow to the leaders of a country which remains dogged by sectarian strife and has only a caretaker government more than four months after a general election in which no clear winner emerged.

Meanwhile, the United Nations warned in its latest human rights report that although violence had fallen overall in Iraq. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's representative in Iraq, Ad Melkert, described the attacks as "horrific crimes committed against defenseless civilians.

Baghdad, Friday, AFP