BAGHDAD – A pair of attacks killed five people in Iraq on Wednesday, including three Lebanese Shiite pilgrims, officials said.
A bus carrying Lebanese pilgrims struck a roadside bomb on a highway near the city of Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad. Three people were killed and seven people wounded in the blast. The pilgrims had traveled through Syria and were on their way to Shiite holy sites in southern Iraq.
Hours earlier, gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying day laborers who were on their way to a construction site near the city of Baqouba, killing two people and wounding seven, according to Diyala provincial police officials.
Baqouba is a former Sunni insurgent stronghold located some 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of the Iraqi capital.
Local medics confirmed the casualties. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
The attacks came as Baghdad is hosting nuclear talks between world powers and Tehran over Iran's atomic program
The level of violence has dropped dramatically in Iraq, although deadly attacks on security forces and civilians are still common.
Fox News' "Antisemitism Exposed" newsletter brings you stories on the rising anti-Jewish prejudice across the U.S. and the world.