Bombings in Iraq kill at least 19, wound some 60

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Bombings in Iraq on Wednesday killed at least 19 people and wounded 58, mainly around Nineveh province, where political tensions have recently flared between Arabs and Kurds.

Most of the casualties were from two car bombs in Shiite areas near the northern city of Mosul -- the provincial capital -- that killed 15 civilians and wounded 40 late Wednesday, according to local security and Interior Ministry officials. The attacks happened within minutes of each other, officials told CNN.

All but one of the fatalities near Mosul were from a car bomb that exploded outside a mosque in the village of Sada wa Baaweeza, officials said. The village is mainly comprised of Shabak people, a minority group within Iraq.

The second car bomb hit al-Qubba, a predominantly Shiite Turkmen area in the northern outskirts of Mosul.

Two other people were killed in a bombing inside Mosul.

Earlier in the day, a suicide bomber attacked a wedding celebration south of Baghdad, killing at least two people and wounding 18, an Interior Ministry official told CNN.

The attack happened in the town of Mussayyab in Babil province, about 30 miles (50 km) south of Baghdad.

Wednesday's attacks, the deadliest so far this month, come after last week's handover of security control in urban areas from U.S. forces to Iraqi forces.

Despite a drop in violence in Mosul, the city remains a challenging one with daily reports of attacks. The U.S. military had suggested keeping its combat troops in Mosul beyond the June 30 deadline, but the Iraqi government insisted on making no exceptions for the date set in the security agreement.

All About Iraq • Iraq War • Baghdad • Saddam Hussein