A wave of violence, including an assassination attempt against a deputy oil minister, swept through Baghdad and neighboring Diyala Province on Monday as Parliament passed a bill that would grant the country's embattled minorities fewer guaranteed seats in upcoming elections.

The prospects of the enactment of the bill, which must still be approved by Iraq's executive council, is unclear. The council is composed of the country's president and two vice-presidents.

In the most lethal attack of the day, six people were killed and 20 wounded when two roadside bombs exploded in quick succession in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Interior's criminal investigations unit in Baghdad's central Karada district, according to a source at the ministry who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

 

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