The deadliest attack took place on Saturday at a market place in Nahrawan near Baghdad, where two bomb blasts killed at least five people and wounded at least 13 others.

In another incident, a bomb went off in a restaurant in Husseiniyah, close to the capital, killing two people and wounding six.

Moreover in southern Baghdad, a car bomb targeted a group of individuals serving food and water to Shiite pilgrims walking towards the holy city of Karbala, killing at least four people and wounding at least 13.

Other bombings and shootings in Iraq killed four people, including a local anti-al-Qaeda militia leader and a policeman, and wounded three other police officers.

More people died in violence in the first eight days of this month than the entire month of December in the previous year.

This is while more than 6,400 people have been killed since the beginning of this year, according to figures released by security and medical sources.

Violence has reached a level this year not seen since 2008, when Iraq was just emerging from a period of brutal sectarian killings.

RA/MB