15 Dead in Baghdad Suicide Bomb

Two suicide bombers blew themselves up at a Shiite Muslim religious hall in north Baghdad, killing at least 15 people, security officials said, the latest in a surge in nationwide violence.

The blasts took place shortly after midday prayers in the Habib ibn al-Mudhaher Hussainiyah in the capital's Qahira neighborhood, the interior ministry and police sources said.

At least 30 people were wounded.

The first bomber blew himself up at the entrance to the hall, while the second ran through the ensuing chaos and set off his explosives inside the building itself, said the officials.

The Hussainiyah, a Shiite Muslim hall that can be used for religious functions as well as prayers, lies adjacent to the Imam al-Sadiq university, a private teaching institution.

As a result, many of the victims were students, the police source said.

Bombings elsewhere in Baghdad and north of the capital in Salaheddin province, meanwhile, left two people dead and six others wounded.

Violence has surged across Iraq recently, with May the deadliest month in Iraq since 2008, sparking fears of a revival of the brutal sectarian war that left tens of thousands killed in 2006 and 2007.