11 killed in new Iraq attacks ahead of Shiite rituals

BAGHDAD - The Associated Press

Residents inspect the site of a bomb attack in Kerbala July 3, 2012. REUTERS Photo

A car bombing at a market in central Iraq killed eight people today and three others were assassinated in Baghdad, the latest in a spike in nationwide unrest ahead of Shiite rituals.
 
The violence struck a day after a series of attacks across Iraq killed 38 amid preparations for ceremonies on Friday to commemorate the birth of a key figure in Shiite Islam.
 
In Wednesday's deadliest attack, a car bombing in the town of Zubaidiyah at 9:15 am killed eight people and wounded 22 others, a security official and a medic at a hospital in nearby Aziziyah said on condition of anonymity.
 
The medical official said a child was among the dead, and women and children were among the wounded.
 
In Baghdad, a series of morning assassinations with silenced pistols left three people dead -- two police officers and a parliament official.
 
In one shooting, a policewoman was killed by gunshots to the head in the east of the capital, an interior ministry official and a medic at Al-Kindi hospital said.
 
In west Baghdad, an off-duty police first lieutenant, who was wearing civilian clothes, was killed, the interior ministry official and a doctor at Yarmuk hospital said.
 
And an employee working at Iraq's parliament was gunned down in the north of the capital, the interior ministry official and a medic at Medical City hospital said.
 
A spate of violence across Iraq on Tuesday killed 38 people, including 26 who died when a truck packed with explosives detonated in a market in the central city of Diwaniyah.
 
The unrest comes just days before the culmination of Shiite commemorations to mark the birth of a central figure known as the 12th imam, with pilgrims who visit the shrine city of Karbala frequent targets of Sunni insurgents.
 
It follows a weeks-long spike in attacks in Iraq, with the country suffering a wave of unrest in June that left at least 282 people dead, according to an AFP tally, though government figures said 131 Iraqis died.
 
While violence in Iraq has declined dramatically since its peak in 2006-2007, attacks remain common across the country.