Iraq killing surge fuels sectarian fears

  • 11 years ago
Residents of Kirkuk gaze at damage done by three roadside bombs at a livestock market early Tuesday.

At least six were killed and another 10 were injured in this attack.

Six others were killed in a separate assault also on Tuesday.

They are the latest string of attacks that have rocked Iraq over the past 24 hours.

More than 70 people were killed in bombings targeting Shi'ite Muslims across the country Monday.

In the city of Hilla, 11 were killed by a car bomb and a separate suicide bomber late Monday evening.

The number of people killed in sectarian clashes in the past week is now over 200.

Tensions between Shi'ites, who now lead Iraq, and minority Sunni Muslims have reached a point where some fear a return to all-out civil conflict.

Fears are growing that the conflict in Syria -- between the Iranian-backed Assad government and the rebels backed by Sunni Gulf states -- are fueling proxy conflicts in Iraq as well as Lebanon.