Iraq bombings kill 29 people, wound 70

Iraqis gather at the site of a bombing in the northern city of Kirkuk A string of car bombings hit Shiite neighborhoods across the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Wednesday evening, including one outside a cafe, killing at least 18 people, police said. A source told Arabstoday that four car bombs exploded half an hour after two earlier explosions in north Baghdad.
Car bombs hit Kadhimiyah and Sadr City in north Baghdad, Saidiyah in the south and Mashtal and Baghdad Jadida in the east, killing at least 14 people and wounding at least 47, while a roadside bomb in the Zafraniyah area killed two police, officials said.
A car bomb in Kirkuk was the day's deadliest single attack, killing eight people and wounding another eight. It was followed by a roadside bomb targeting the Kirkuk police chief's convoy and a car bomb that exploded nearby, killing two people and wounding nine between them.
In Tarmiyah, north of Baghdad, a suicide bomber on a motorcycle attacked a police checkpoint, killing one policeman and wounding four people.
Attacks in the northern city of Mosul killed two policeman and wounded two more.
Meanwhile, Iraqiya state television quoted the security command responsible for Baghdad as saying four more car bombs were defused in the capital. There is now tight security within the region and forces are on high alert. Many areas have now been sealed to deter any further explosions.
Wednesday's violence comes a day after attacks killed 16 people in Iraq, including 12 shot dead when gunmen attacked a row of alcohol shops in Baghdad.
Violence in Iraq has fallen from its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks remain common, killing more than 200 people in each of the first four months of this year.