21 killed, 78 wounded in attacks in Iraq

BAGHDAD - At least 21 people were killed and 78 others injured in attacks across Iraq on Monday, mostly in the southern Shiite provinces, an Interior Ministry source said.

Two people killed and 12 others wounded when a car bomb exploded in Karbala, some 110 km south of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, at least six people were killed and 14 others wounded in another car bomb attack in the Shiite district of Mahmodiyah, 30 km south of Baghdad, he added.

Earlier on Monday, two cars bombs exploded in a market in Amarah, some 300 km southeast of Baghdad, killing nine people and wounding 30 others, the source said.

Another car bomb struck Diwaniyah, some 160 km southeast of Baghdad, killing two people and wounding 20 others.

In the northern town of Yathrib, some 40 km north of the capital, two soldiers were killed and two others wounded when unidentified gunmen attacked a check point of the Iraqi army.

Violence is still common in Iraq despite the dramatic decrease since its peak in 2006 and 2007 when the country was engulfed in sectarian killings.