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.
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.
| Nice sentiment until you examine the location of the large majority of the kabooms... |
"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.