Nearly 90 killed in attacks across Iraq

At least 89 people were killed in bomb and gun attacks in Iraq on Monday after 20 died in blasts the previous day in a coordinated surge of violence against mostly Shiite Muslim targets.The bloodshed coincided with an intensifying of the conflict in neighbouring Syria.As well as the dozens of deaths at least 223 people were wounded in bomb attacks in Shiite areas of Baghdad, the Shiite town of Taji to the north, the mixed northern city of Kirkuk and elsewhere, hospital and police sources said, making it one of Iraqs bloodiest days in weeks. No group has claimed responsibility for the latest wave of assaults but a senior Iraqi security official blamed the local wing of al Qaeda, made up of Sunni Muslim militants hostile to the Shiite-led government, which is friendly with Iran.Recent attacks are a clear message that al Qaeda in Iraq is determined to spark a bloody sectarian war, the official said, asking not to be named.With whats going on in Syria, these attacks should be taken seriously as a potential threat to our country. Al Qaeda is trying to push Iraq to the verge of Shiite-Sunni war, he said. They want things to be as bad as in Syria.The last two days of bombings and shootings shattered a two-week lull in violence in the run-up to the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, which started in Iraq on Saturday.Sectarian slaughter peaked in 2006-2007 but deadly attacks have persisted while political tensions among Iraqs main Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish factions have mounted since U.S. troops left the country in December.