Attacks on Shiite areas of Baghdad leave 50 dead

Site of a car bomb explosion in Sadr City, Baghdad A wave of bomb attacks has struck mainly Shiite areas of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, killing 50 people and injured 140, police and medical sources say .
The attacks hit at nine different areas of the capital, targeting markets and busy shopping streets, local sources told Reuters.
Police officials said the deadliest of Saturday's attacks was a car bomb that exploded near a market in the southeastern suburbs of Baghdad just before sunset, killing seven people and wounding 20, AP reported.
Earlier in the afternoon, a bomb attack near a park south of Baghdad killed four people, including two children, who were celebrating the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, Iraqi authorities said .
Police officials said 16 people were wounded when the bomb exploded in the town of Zubeidiyah, about 40 kilometers south of Baghdad, on Saturday afternoon, AP reported. The bomb went off as families were celebrating the Eid holiday, and women and children were among the wounded.
The news comes a day after separate attacks in Iraq killed four people, according to officials, as Muslims marked the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan which has been one the bloodiest in years.
More than 800 people were killed in attacks during Ramadan, which began in the second week of July and ended this week.
Militants have struck targets ranging from cafes where Iraqis gather after breaking their daily Ramadan fast, to mosques where extended evening prayers are held during the month.
On Friday, gunmen killed two anti-Al-Qaeda fighters and wounded two others near Baiji, north of Baghdad.
The Sahwa, who joined forces with the US from late 2006 and helped turn the tide of the war against the insurgency, are frequently targeted by Sunni militants, who consider them traitors.
Gunmen also killed a farmer near Baquba, north of Baghdad, while a magnetic "sticky bomb" killed a man and wounded his wife in the capital.
And in Fallujah, west of Baghdad, a suicide bomber attempted to attack a police checkpoint but was shot by security forces.
The explosives the bomber was carrying still detonated, wounding two policemen and a civilian.
Violence has markedly increased this year, especially since an April 23 security operation at a Sunni Arab anti-government protest site that sparked clashes in which dozens died.
Protests erupted in Sunni-majority areas in late 2012, amid widespread discontent among Sunnis, who accuse the Shiite-led government of marginalising and targeting them.
Analysts say Sunni anger is the main cause of the spike in violence this year.
In addition to security problems, the government in Baghdad is also failing to provide adequate basic services such as electricity and clean water, and corruption is widespread.
Political squabbling has paralysed the government, which has passed almost no major legislation in years.

Additional source: AFP