Iraq bomb, gun attacks leave 44 dead

A series of attacks struck across Iraq early Monday,
killing at least 44 people and wounding dozens more,
Ministry of Interior officials said, CNN has reported.
The deadliest attack was at an Iraqi military base
north of Baghdad when militants armed with mortars
and small arms struck, killing at least 15 soldiers,
according to the officials.
At least three people, according to the officials were
wounded in the brazen attack on the base in the
town of Dhuluiya, a one-time stronghold for Sunni
supporters of former dictator Saddam Hussein about
80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Baghdad.
While overall attacks have dropped off in Iraq since
the height of violence in 2006, insurgents have
routinely targeted Iraqi security forces and civilians
since the United States withdrew its troops in
December.
The deadliest incident this year took place June 13
when a bomb targeted Shia pilgrims headed to a
shrine in Baghdad. It killed at least 93 people and
wounded 312 others.
"They promised us that violence would end when
American troops leave Iraq, but on the contrary,
things are getting worse," college student Khalid
Nima said, pointing a finger at the government for
failing to stanch the violence. "This is not the country
where I want to plan for my future."
Monday's attacks come amid a political tug-of-war
between Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and the
Sunni minority, raising fears that the violence is a
precursor to the return of sectarian violence that
nearly tore the country apart at the height of the war
in 2005-2006.
A series of explosions rocked the disputed, oil-rich
city of Kirkuk, with three car bombs and five roadside
bombs exploding in various locations, killing five
people and wounding 19, the officals said.
In the Sunni-dominated province of Diyala, a
motorcycle rigged with a bomb exploded at an
outdoor market in Muqdadiyah, killing two people
and wounding 11.
In a separate attack Monday, a series of bombings
targeted a residential area in Taji, on the northern
outskirts of the Iraqi capital, killing at least seven
people and wounding 28, the officials said. The blasts
included a car bomb and three roadside bombs, they said.
Another car bomb went off outside government
offices on the edge of Sadr City, a Shiite enclave in
the capital, killing 12 people and wounding 18
others, the ministry said.
Sadr City is one of Baghdad's poorest neighborhoods
and is home to more than 1.5 million people.
A third car bomb exploded outside a popular
restaurant in al-Husseiniya, a predominantly Shiite
suburb in northeastern Baghdad, killing three people
and wounding 31 others, the ministry officials said.
In western Baghdad, a roadside bomb wounded three
people, according to the officials.