19 killed in Iraq mosque attack

At least 19 people were killed and 34 others wounded in a suicide bomb attack at a Shia mosque in Iraq's capital Baghdad Tuesday, a police source said.

The attack occurred at noon when a suicide bomber blew up his explosives-vest among a crowd of Shia worshippers at the mosque at Shorjah commercial area in downtown Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Insurgent groups frequently attack Shia pilgrims who perform communal rituals in the Iraqi cities, killing and wounding hundreds of them and provoking sectarian strife in the violence-shattered country.

Iraq is witnessing some of its worst violence in recent years. According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, a total of 8,868 Iraqis, including 7,818 civilians and civilian police personnel, were killed in 2013, the highest annual death toll in years.