27 May 2013
Last updated at 17:16 GMT
Wave of Baghdad car bombs 'kills 57'
More than 57 people are killed in a series of car bomb
explosions in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, police say, as a spate of
violence continues.
Firefighters were called to extinguish the blaze from a car bomb attack in Baghdad
At
least 57 people have been killed in a series of car bombs targeting
mainly Shia areas in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, police say.
Many more were wounded as at least a dozen bombs hit busy shopping areas and markets in the city.The violence comes amid a recent marked rise in attacks linked to growing political and sectarian tension.
It has raised fears of a return to the levels of sectarian violence seen in 2006 and 2007, in which thousands died.
Busy areas
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The bombs struck just a few hours after the ministry of
interior released a statement saying that the violence in Iraq cannot be
seen as sectarian in nature because the bombs do not distinguish
between Sunnis and Shia.
Two weeks ago, 38 people were killed in a single attack targeting a Sunni mosque in eastern Iraq. The people behind the violence appear to be targeting different communities in turn, in order to maximise the perception that one attack is in response to the other.
Despite the persistent violence, there have been intensifying efforts on both sides of the divide to prevent a return to civil war.
Analysis
Two weeks ago, 38 people were killed in a single attack targeting a Sunni mosque in eastern Iraq. The people behind the violence appear to be targeting different communities in turn, in order to maximise the perception that one attack is in response to the other.
Despite the persistent violence, there have been intensifying efforts on both sides of the divide to prevent a return to civil war.
One bombing struck the busy
commercial Sadoun Street in central Baghdad. One bystander who saw that
attack, Zein al-Abidin, said a four-year-old child was among the
victims.
"What crime have those innocent people committed?" he asked.Other neighbourhoods which were targeted include al-Maalif, where six died, and Habibiya, where 12 were killed, according to the Associated Press news agency.
No group has said it carried out the attacks, but tension between the Shia Muslim majority, which leads the government, and minority Sunnis has been growing since last year.
Sunnis have accused the government of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki of discriminating against them - something the government denies.
Mr Maliki has vowed to make immediate changes to Iraq's security strategy, saying militants "will not be able to return us to the sectarian conflict".
Monday's bombings come a week after more than 70 people were killed and many others injured in a series of attacks across the country, in what was described as one of the worst days for sectarian violence in Iraq for several years.
Baghdad was worst hit, with several explosions at bus stations and markets in mainly Shia Muslim districts.
Estimates put the number of deaths this month at more than 450 - the second consecutive month during which more than 400 people have been killed.
COPY http://www.bbc.co.uk/news
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