Surge in Iraqi bloodshed

A SURGE in bloodshed left nearly 50 people dead in a suicide car bombing and clashes between Shi’ite militia and Iraqi security forces yesterday.

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.