At least 29 killed in Iraq amid sectarian tension

IRAQ: At least 29 people were killed most of them in a Baghdad car bomb attack, a day after multiple bombings in Iraq left 64 dead and revived fears of civil war.

Bombers struck again in Baghdad's multiconfessional southeastern neighbourhood of Jadid at about midday, killing 23 and wounding 58 by blowing up a car on the main road which also housed a market.

Six others were killed in separate bombings and shootings across Iraq Wednesday, leaving a total of 29 dead. At least 78 were wounded in the attacks.

The upsurge in violence reinforced fears of a return to intercommunal bloodletting that followed the bombing of a Shiite shrine last week. Hundreds were killed in the violence that pitted Sunnis and Shiites.

One of the bloodiest attacks was a car bomb Tuesday evening outside a Shiite mosque in Baghdad's northwestern al-Hurriya neighborhood, which killed 25.

The blast came just hours after three bombs exploded in quick succession in mixed Shiite-Sunni areas in the capital, killing another 30 people.

The new violence jolted feverish US and Iraqi efforts to restore stability to Iraq after the lifting of a curfew and traffic ban Monday.

Baghdad, Thursday, AFP.