Baghdad explosions break period of calm

Three car bombs tore through Baghdad and the former insurgent stronghold of Fallujah yesterday, killing at least 36 people and breaking a period of relative calm in Iraq since the end of Ramadan. The violence was the worst since the number of American troops in the country dropped below 50,000.

The deadliest attack took place in north Baghdad's Kazimiyah neighbourhood when a car bomb killed at least 21 people and wounded more than 70. At least 10 people were killed in another car attack in western Baghdad's Mansour neighbourhood. In Fallujah, a suicide attacker in a car struck an Iraqi army patrol, killing one Iraqi soldier and four civilians.