Baghdad car bombs kill dozens

At least 69 dead and more than 170 wounded in attacks, raising fears of a return to widespread violence,according to the Guardian.

A series of car bombs targeting cafes and markets in Baghdad killed 69 people and wounded more than 170.

The attacks took place during celebrations at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Attacks against civilians and security forces worsened markedly during Ramadan. The increase in violence has led to fears of a return to the fighting that brought the country to the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007.

The 10 explosions, which appeared to have been co-ordinated, were similar to attacks in Baghdad on Tuesday in which 50 people were killed.

Police said one of the deadliest of the attacks took place when a car bomb exploded near an outdoor market in the city’s south-eastern suburb of JisrDiyala shortly before sunset, killing seven people and wounding 20.

Outside Baghdad, a suicide bomber detonated an explosion in a car on a busy street in the town of TuzKhurmato, 105 miles north of the capital, killing at least 10 people and wounding 45. TuzKhurmato is in a particularly violent region over which both the central government and autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan claim jurisdiction.

Police believe the bomber was trying to reach the local headquarters of a Kurdish political party, but was unable to approach the building because of increased security in the area.

Attacks have multiplied in Iraq since the start of the year, with more than 1,000 people killed in July, the highest monthly death toll since 2008, according to the United Nations. Iraqi security forces have increased patrols and checkpoints to protect people during the Eid al-Fitr celebrations at the end of Ramadan.

Last week prime minister Nouri al-Maliki vowed to continue operations against militants, saying: “We will not leave our children to these murderers and those standing behind them and supporting both inside and outside.”

R.S