Deadly Iraq violence spills into fourth day

At least seven people killed in apparent sectarian attacks following the country's deadliest day in months.

About 300 people have died in May so far in Iraq amid fears of a new round of sectarian bloodshed [Reuters]

Deadly violence in Iraq has spilled into a fourth day, with reports that at least seven people have been killed and three more injured, amid fears over a new round of sectarian bloodshed. Two police officers were killed on Saturday after an improvised device exploded at a federal police base south of Mosul, a mainly Sunni Muslim area in the country's north, Al Jazeera's Omar Al Saleh, reporting from Erbil, said. He said one soldier was killed west of Mosul in a similar attack, which also wounded three soldiers. Reuters news agency reported that four people were killed in a bomb attack in Fallujah, 65km west of Baghdad. In Anbar, hundreds of armed men gathered near the headquarters of a security command, while others ambushed a patrol and kidnapped 10 security force personnel, police said. There, security forces attempted to arrest Mohammed Khamis Abu Risha, who is wanted in connection with the killing of five soldiers, near Ramadi to the west of Baghdad, sparking clashes with armed tribesmen in which two of them were killed, a police captain said. Khamis, the nephew of Ahmed Abu Risha, a powerful tribal sheikh, said that two members of his tribe were killed. Deadliest day The violence comes a day after more than 70 people were killed in bombings in majority Sunni districts in Baghdad and surrounding areas, in what has been noted as the deadliest day in Iraq in more than eight months. Friday's attacks included Shia Muslims at bus stops and outdoor markets in scenes reminiscent of the retaliatory attacks between the two Islamic branches in 2006-2007 that claimed tens of thousands of lives. Martin Kobler, the UN envoy in Baghdad, called for Iraqi leaders to stop the violence. "It is the responsibility of all leaders to stop the bloodshed in this country and to protect their citizens," he said in a statement on Friday. "Small children are burned alive in cars. Worshippers are cut down outside their own mosques. This is beyond unacceptable." Al Jazeera's Dominic Kane reports on Friday's attacks In the deadliest attack on Friday, twin bombings near a Sunni mosque in Baquba, north of Baghdad, killed 41 people and injured dozens. One bomb exploded as worshippers were departing the Saria mosque while a second went off after people gathered at the scene of the first blast, police said. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Adding to the sectarian tensions, the bodies of two Iraqi Shias killed fighting in neighbouring Syria alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces arrived home on Friday, providing evidence that members of the majority community have joined the war. Growing worry Al Jazeera's Saleh said the sectarian nature of recent attacks were worrying Iraqis. "You have attacks on Shia worshippers, you have attacks on Sunni worshippers. It appears that whoever is behind those attacks wants to ignite sectarian strife," he said. "It's an indication that security conditions are really going downhill in this country. There is a huge and growing sense of fear among Iraqis." Tension has flared since Sunnis began protesting against what they say is mistreatment at the hands of the mainly Shia-led government, including random detentions and neglect. The protests, which began in December, have largely been peaceful, but the number of attacks rose sharply after a deadly security crackdown on a Sunni protest camp in the country's north on April 23. So far in May, at least 300 people have been killed in the violence. The death toll for this year is around 1,500 people.