Surge in Iraqi bloodshed
The deaths followed a day of bombings and shootings on Sunday, when more than 60 people were killed across the country, from the northern city of Kirkuk to the capital Baghdad and down to the south in Basra.
In Baghdad, a car suicide bomber slammed into a police checkpoint outside the Interior Ministry in mid-morning.
The blast killed 14 people, including eight policemen.
In the city of Diwaniyah, gun battles between Iraqi forces and militiamen of the Mahdi army loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr left at least 34 people dead and about 70 wounded.
The fighting broke out late on Sunday night when Iraqi soldiers conducted raids in three neighbourhoods to flush out the militiamen and seize weapons.
Dr Mohammed Abdul-Muhsen, of the city’s general hospital, said 34 bodies were brought in — 25 Iraqi soldiers, seven civilians and two militiamen. He said at least 70 people were injured, but could not immediately give a breakdown.
Diwaniyah is a Shi’ite-dominated city, where the influence of the Mahdi army has been gradually increasing.
The government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shi’ite, has found it difficult to rein in Mr al-Sadr, whose movement holds 30 of the 275 seats in parliament.
