Iraq Attacks Kill Seven

A series of attacks in Baghdad and central Iraq killed seven people Friday, the latest in a months-long surge in bloodshed that comes in the lead-up to major Shiite Muslim commemorations.

In the deadliest incident, two roadside bombs went off as worshipers were exiting midday prayers at the Imam Ali mosque, a Sunni place of worship, in the west Baghdad neighborhood of Amriyah.

At least four people were killed and 11 wounded, security and medical officials said.

Violence north of Baghdad in Diyala and Salaheddin provinces, both majority Sunni Arab provinces that are among Iraq's most violent, killed three.

Attacks have surged in recent months. Although no group has claimed all of the violence, much of it has been attributed to Sunni militants linked to Al-Qaida who oppose Iraq's Shiite-led government.

The violence is part of the worst unrest since 2008, when Iraq was emerging from a brutal Sunni-Shiite sectarian war, with the government having carried out a swathe of operations targeting militants and tightened security measures, though apparently to no avail.

It comes shortly after the start of the Islamic new year and as Shiites converge on the shrine city of Karbala, south of Baghdad, to commemorate a key figure in Shiite Islam, a period during which Sunni militants often try to target them and the security forces.

In addition to major security problems, authorities have failed to provide adequate basic services such as electricity and clean water, and corruption is widespread.

Political squabbling has paralyzed the government, while parliament has passed almost no major legislation in years.