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Dozens Dead in Shiite Attack on Sunni Mosque in Iraq: Reports

At least 30 Sunni Muslims were killed after prayers Friday when a Shiite militia opened fire at a mosque in Iraq, security sources said.

At least 30 Sunni Muslims were killed after prayers Friday when a Shiite militia opened fire at an Iraqi mosque in an apparent sectarian massacre, officials and security sources said. "A group of insurgents was waiting outside the mosque in [unmarked] cars and opened fire when the Sunnis left the main gate of the mosque,” a security official told NBC News.

The official said 68 were dead or wounded in the attack in Iraq’s eastern Diyala province. At least 30 bodies had arrived at a nearby hospital, Reuters reported, while an Iraqi official told The Associated Press that at least 40 were dead. The difference in the tolls could not immediately be accounted for. “The area around the mosque is still surrounded by the militants and snipers,” the first security source said, adding that Iraqi army forces had been ordered to the scene.

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- Alastair Jamieson