4 killed, 68 wounded in bomb attacks in Iraq

BAGHDAD, May 21 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed and 68 others wounded in deadly bomb attacks in war-torn Iraq on Tuesday, police said.

At least three people were killed and more than 43 others wounded when two car bombs exploded in the Hussein district in Tuz Khormato, some 170 km north of Baghdad, a police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The blasts caused considerable damage to a number of houses and civilian cars nearby, the source said.

One civilian was killed and 25 others were injured when three bombs exploded in a sheep market in the Auraba district of Kirkuk, some 250 km north of Baghdad, according to the source.

Tuesday's violence came amid an escalation of sectarian tension between the Sunni and Shiite communities, which has been at its highest level since the U.S. troops pulled out of the country at the end of 2011.

On Monday, a series of car bombs and shootings mainly targeting Shiite areas across Iraq killed at least 70 people, including several Iranian pilgrims, and wounded more than 200, apparently in an attempt to stir up sectarian strife among Iraqis.

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