The seven car bombs and two roadside bombs hit six different areas of Baghdad on Wednesday, also wounding more than 60 people.

Figures released by the UN mission to Iraq showed that a total of 703 people were killed in Iraq in February, which are close to that of January’s death toll of 733.

Some 564 civilians and 139 members of security forces were killed in the violence in the country, while 1,381 people, including 1,179 civilians, were injured.

Baghdad was the worst affected region with 239 deaths, followed by central Salahuddin Province with 121 and northern Nineveh Province with 94.

This is while Iraqi troops, backed by local Sunni tribesmen, are currently fighting al-Qaeda-affiliated militants in the country’s western regions, including the Anbar province.

Iraq’s Interior Ministry has said that militants have launched an open war in Iraq and want to push the Middle Eastern country into chaos.

Violence erupted in Anbar last December when security forces cleared a protest camp which the government said was used by militants for launching terrorist attacks.

BA/BA