US and Iraqi forces began a series of operations today targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq after an upsurge in suicide bombings.
US commanders say the bombings are an attempt by the militant group to reignite sectarian violence.
Iraqi Army soldiers tend to the dead and wounded moments during a recent suicide attack in Baghdad
Lieut-Gen Raymond Odierno, the commander of US troops in Iraq, said a series of operations to "pursue and neutralise remaining al-Qaeda in Iraq and other extremist elements" were under way.
The US military says al-Qaeda has been badly damaged but has the capacity to carry out attacks that cause mass casualties.
The military says the organisation is targeting US-backed mainly Sunni neighbourhood patrols, armed volunteers paid by the US military that include former insurgent fighters who have turned against al-Qaeda.
Yesterday, a double suicide bomb attack killed 14 people including the head of the neighbourhood patrols in the Adhamiya district of Baghdad, a former al-Qaeda stronghold.
Gunmen in five cars kidnapped up to ten volunteers in nearby Shaab district.