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Baghdad car bombs kill dozens Baghdad car bombs kill dozens
(about 3 hours later)
A dozen car bombs have hit the Iraqi capital of Baghdad during morning rush hour, killing at least 36 people, officials have said. A wave of more than a dozen car bombings hit central and southern Iraq during morning rush hour on Monday, killing at least 51 people, officials said, in the latest co-ordinated attack by insurgents determined to undermine the government.
The blasts, which wounded scores more, are part of a surge of attacks that is reviving fears of a return to the widespread sectarian bloodshed that pushed the country to the brink of civil war after the 2003 US-led invasion. Suicide attacks, car bombs and other violence have killed more than 3,000 people since April, including more than 500 since the start of July, according to Associated Press. The blasts, which wounded scores more, are part of a months-long surge of attacks that is reviving fears of a return to the widespread sectarian bloodshed that pushed the country to the brink of civil war after the 2003 US-led invasion.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday's attacks, but they bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida's Iraqi arm. The group, known as the Islamic State of Iraq, frequently uses car bombs, suicide bombers and co-ordinated blasts in an effort to break Iraqis' confidence in the Shia-led government. Suicide attacks, car bombings and other violence have killed more than 3,000 people since April, including more than 500 since the start of July, according to an Associated Press count.
Six police officers said 12 car bombs had hit markets and car parks in predominantly Shia neighbourhoods of Baghdad within one hour. They said the deadliest was in the eastern Shia neighbourhood of Sadr City, where two explosions killed nine people and wounded 33 others. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday's attacks, but they bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida's Iraqi arm. The group, known as the Islamic State of Iraq, frequently sets off such co-ordinated blasts in an effort to break Iraqis' confidence in the Shia-led government.
Two other car bombs went off in the northern Hurriya neighbourhood, killing six bystanders and wounding 23 others. In the busy northern Kazimiya neighbourhood, another car bomb killed four people and wounded 12. Police said a total of 12 parked car bombs hit markets and car parks in predominantly Shia neighbourhoods of Baghdad within an hour of each other. They said the deadliest were in the eastern Shia neighbourhood of Sadr City, where two separate explosions killed nine civilians and wounded 33 others.
In the south-western neighbourhood of Bayaa, three people were killed and 15 wounded in another car bomb explosion. In Shurta, western Baghdad, two other people were killed and 14 wounded. Ambulances rushed to the scene where rescuers and police were removing the charred and twisted remains of the car bombs from the bloodstained pavement. The force of the two explosions lightly damaged nearby houses and shops.
In the southern Abu Disheer area, four people were killed and 17 wounded. Another car bomb struck in the north-western Tobchi district, killing three and wounding 10 others. Ali Khalil, 36, a taxi driver, said he was passing nearby when the first bomb exploded. "I heard a thunderous explosion that shook my car and broke the rear window," he said. "I immediately pulled over and didn't know what to do while seeing people running or lying on the ground."
Five more people were killed and 44 others wounded in Risala, the northern Shaab neighbourhood and in the town of Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad. He said he brought two of the wounded to a nearby hospital before heading back to his home to stay indoors for the rest the day. Like many Iraqis he blamed political infighting and incapable security forces for the deteriorating security situation.
Seven health officials confirmed the casualty figures and said scores more had been wounded. The violence surged after an April crackdown by security forces on a Sunni protest camp in the northern town of Hawija that killed 44 people and a member of the security forces, according to UN estimates. Several hours after the explosions, the acting UN envoy to Iraq, Gyorgy Busztin, expressed concern over "the heightened level of violence which carries the danger that the country falls back into sectarian strife".
He said: "Iraq is bleeding from random violence, which sadly reached record heights during the holy month of Ramadan." He called for immediate and decisive action to stop the "senseless bloodshed".
Ten other bombs around Baghdad, mostly in Shia-dominated suburbs, as well as in the town of Mahmoudiya, 20 miles to the south, killed 31 people.
The wave of bombings also extended to Iraq's majority-Shia south. Back-to-back explosions of two parked car bombs in an outdoor market and near a gathering of construction workers killed seven civilians and wounded 35 in the city of Kut.
And in the oil-rich city of Basra, four people were killed and five wounded when a parked car bomb ripped through a market. Health officials confirmed the casualty figures.
The violence surged after a crackdown by security forces on a Sunni protest camp in the northern town of Hawija in April that killed 44 civilians and a member of the security forces, according to UN estimates. The bloodshed is linked to rising sectarian divisions between Sunnis and Shias as well as friction between Arabs and Kurds, dampening hopes for a return to normalcy nearly two years after US forces withdrew from the country.
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