A wave of bombings killed 18 Iraqis across several cities this morning, shattering weeks of calm in a reminder of the nation’s continued insurgency.

A STRING of four bomb attacks within seven minutes killed at least 18 people and wounded 39 in northern Iraq yesterday, while a Baghdad carbomb injured 28, officials said.

A co-ordinated string of four bomb attacks within seven minutes killed at least 18 people and wounded 39 in northern Iraq today, while a Baghdad car bomb injured 28, officials said, ending a relative lull in violence that had fallen over the country in recent days.

Four bombings, including three suicide attacks within seven minutes, killed at least nine people, including at least three Iraqi soldiers, in northern Iraq early today, while the government announced it has detained nearly 900 suspected militants in a two-week sweep in Baghdad.

Militants pounded central Baghdad today with one of their most intense mortar barrages ever, targeting the Green Zone and destroying a US vehicle along a major street.