DUBAI: Al-Qaeda affiliate the Islamic State of Iraq has claimed responsibility for a wave of bombings in Iraq that killed 72 people during a Shiite pilgrimage, the SITE Monitoring Service said on Saturday.
US-based SITE said the ISI, in a statement posted on jihadist forums, dubbed the attacks the "blessed Wednesday invasion," which had dealt a "serious blow" to Iraq's security strategy.
Coordinated attacks took place across Iraq on Wednesday, leaving a total of 72 people dead and more than 250 wounded, and marking the deadliest day in the country in almost 10 months. They came as pilgrims were heading to shrines to mark the death anniversary of Imam Musa Kadhim, the seventh of 12 Shiite imams, who pass away in 799.