According to police sources, the first explosion took place when a bomber detonated his vest inside the mosque in the Shia-populated Shulaa neighborhood of the Iraqi capital on Thursday evening.

A second bomber then blew himself up when security forces gathered to inspect the site of the first blast.

According to sources, four of the victims were members of the security forces. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

In a similar act of terror earlier this month, at least six people lost their lives and over two dozen others sustained injuries when a series of bomb explosions ripped through residential neighborhoods of Baghdad.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq says a total of 849 Iraqis were killed and 1,450 others injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in January.

According to the UN mission, the number of civilian fatalities stood at 490. Violence also claimed the lives of 359 members of the Iraqi security forces. A great portion of the fatalities was recorded in Baghdad, where 299 civilians were killed.

S/SH 11