Sixteen people killed in car bomb attacks in Iraq

At least 16 civilians have been killed in Iraq and dozens more wounded in the latest bout of bomb attacks to hit the violence-wracked country.

The deadliest attack occurred on Tuesday near the eastern city of Baqouba in Diyala Province, where three car bomb explosions targeted outdoor markets.

One of the blasts hit the village of Anbakiya, killing five people in the third such attack over the past two months, police said.

Three people were separately killed in Hwaish village, where another car bomb targeted a tribal leader who survived the attack.

Three others were killed in a third bomb explosion also in Diyala.

Elsewhere, a roadside bomb claimed five lives in Latifiya, a violent area some 40 km (25 miles) from Baghdad where 16 members of one Shia family were killed last week.

Violence in Iraq has intensified since April to levels not seen since 2008.

More than 4,000 people have been killed in recent months. Nearly 800 of the victims were killed in acts of violence in August alone, according to the United Nations.

The Iraqi government says al-Qaeda-linked groups and members of the outlawed Ba’ath party are behind the surge in terrorist attacks in the country.