Wave of attacks leaves 60 dead and 200 injured in Iraq

The aftermath of a car bomb in Kadhimiya, Baghdad on Saturday Baghdad – Najla Al Taey Sixty people were killed and 200 injured in 10 apparently coordinated car bomb attacks on Saturday evening in different parts of Baghdad and in the province of Saladin .
The attacks in the capital were mainly in Shiite majority areas, the BBC and AP reported.
A source from the Iraqi Interior Ministry told Arab Today that nine of the blasts happened in Baghdad, where 52 people were killed and 150 injured in simultaneous blasts in different parts of the capital.
One of the bombs, planted in a car on Sitteen (60) Rd in Kadhimiya, northern Baghdad, killed seven people and left 14 wounded when it exploded on Saturday evening, the source said. A separate blast near a children’s playground, also in Kadhimiya, left 10 dead and 23 injured.
A third car bomb exploded at the entrance to Amil neighbourhood in South-West Baghdad, killing five people and injuring 22.
The source, who asked to remain anonymous, said a further car bomb exploded in the area of Souq Shelashel in the al-Shaab neighbourhood in North-East Baghdad, followed by another near Al-Baida Cinema in New Baghdad, which led to the death of 17 people and the injury of another 42 people. A further two car bombs went caused 11 deaths and 34 injuries in al-Baya and Nahrawan.
In southern Baghdad, a car bomb exploded in Souq al-Riyadh near Diyala bridge, leaving four dead and 15 injured, while another exploded near al-Shaab Bridge in the town of Shaala, the official said.

Kadhimiya was hit by two separate attacks

Meanwhile in Toz Khurmatu, which lies 70 kilometres south of Kirkuk, a suicide bombing took eight lives and left 50 wounded, according to the district mayor, Shallal Abdoul. The blast took place in the central neighbourhood of Mustafa Agha, where most residents are Turkmen, Abdoul said.
Tuz Khurmatu, in Saladin province, is part of an area disputed between the Iraqi government and ethnic Kurds.
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.
The violence comes as Iraq’s Muslims mark 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