IRAQ: Insurgents killed 10 Iraqi policemen and soldiers in attacks north of Baghdad yesterday, while in the capital five major explosions left at least eight dead and one US soldier was killed on patrol.
It was one of the bloodiest days in Iraq since the largely peaceful election on December 15th, when rival ethnic and sectarian groups took part in a vote for a new parliament. By nightfall, at least 20 were killed and over 40 injured.
In the capital, five people were killed and 15 wounded when four car bombs exploded in quick succession as civilians travelled to work in the morning, the US military said.
It later said one US soldier was also killed in the city when a rocket-propelled grenade hit his patrol vehicle.
In a market in a Shia neighbourhood of Baghdad, a parked motorbike loaded with explosives blew up, killing at least three and wounding 23 others, police said.
Iraqi police and soldiers bore the brunt of other attacks.
In the second major assault on Iraqi security forces in four days, guerrillas stormed a police checkpoint north of Baghdad, killing five policemen and wounding four. Al-Qaeda's wing in Iraq claimed responsibility. It said it killed or injured all 20 policemen present - differing from police accounts.
The attack seemed to have been carefully planned and staged. Gunmen jumped out of a minibus and started firing mortar rounds and rocket-propelled grenades at the checkpoint in Buhriz, a small town about 60 km (40 miles) from the capital, police said.
As they got closer, they also began hurling hand grenades. At least six guerrillas were killed in several hours of ensuing clashes, police said.
A main road leading to the checkpoint was also laid with roadside bombs, delaying backup police forces sent in to help.
"They attacked us from all sides," said one police officer at the scene. He said he saw at least 10 guerrillas killed.
Further north, in the small village of Dhabab, gunmen shot dead five Iraqi army soldiers in separate, but apparently co-ordinated attacks as they left for work or went about their morning routine, the army said.
In Falluja, a suicide bomber threw grenades at police recruits outside a training centre, killing two before detonating his explosive belt and killing himself, police said.
The area northeast of Baghdad where yesterday's attacks occurred - especially the citrus grove-fringed Diyala province - is known for frequent violence, including execution-style assassinations of those with ties to US forces.
The governor of the restive province was wounded in an assassination bid yesterday when a makeshift bomb hidden in a cigarette kiosk exploded near his motorcade, his office said.
His driver was also wounded and an aide was killed. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for this attack too.
The bloodshed came after partial parliamentary election results threatened to deepen severe sectarian divisions.
The results show the incumbent Shia Islamic bloc in a strong lead in crucial areas like Baghdad, despite a large turnout by Sunni Arabs who had boycotted a previous vote.
Thousands of Sunni Arabs have taken to the streets in recent days, crying foul over the results and demanding fresh elections.
Behind the tough talk, however, Sunni Arab politicians are said to be jockeying for powerful positions within the coalition expected to form the next government.