Car bomb 'kills 12' in north Baghdad

A car bomb exploded in a crowded street in a city north of the Iraqi capital on Saturday, killing 12 people and wounding 13, police and a doctor said. The blast in Samarra came as people shopped ahead of Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, which begins on Tuesday. It is the biggest Muslim holiday of the year. Militants seeking to cause maximum casualties frequently bomb places in Iraq where crowds of people gather, including shopping districts, markets, cafes and mosques. Violence in the country has reached a level not seen since 2008, when Iraq was just emerging from a brutal sectarian conflict. Source: AFP