BAGHDAD — A new wave of car bombs rocked commercial streets in the Iraqi capital on Tuesday, killing 23 in the latest apparent attack by hard-line Sunni insurgents aiming to undermine confidence in the Shiite-led government.
Meanwhile, Sunni leaders in Basra said unknown gunmen had shot dead 17 Sunnis in the Shiite-dominated city over the past two weeks, following threats to retaliate against them for attacks on Shiites in other parts of Iraq.
Sunnis in Basra were frequently targeted during the widespread 2004-2008 sectarian killings that pushed the country to the brink of civil war. The shootings in the southern port city are likely to raise fears that Iraq may be drifting back toward the cycle of violence in those years that left thousands dead every month.
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