135 die in bombing as 'civil war' grips Iraq

A suicide truck bomber blasted a food market in a mainly Shia area of Baghdad yesterday, killing at least 135 people and wounding scores more.

The bomber was driving the lorry carrying food when he detonated his explosives, destroying stores and stalls that had been set up in the crowded outdoor Sadriyah market, police said.

The explosion came as a group allied to al-Qaeda called for fighters to widen their campaign outside the capital. Afternoon shoppers were buying food for their evening meal as the bomber struck. It was the latest in a series of attacks against commercial targets in the city as insurgents seek to maximise the number of people killed ahead of a security sweep planned by American and Iraqi forces.

The blast sent plumes of black smoke into the air. The district has suffered a number of large bombings in recent months.

Yesterday's killings came at the end of one of the bloodiest weeks since 2003, and follow the admission in the US government's National Intelligence Estimate that Iraq now meets the conditions of a long-predicted civil war. The intelligence report said progress must be made within 12 to 18 months to avoid further deterioration.

Levels of violence have sharply increased ahead of the planned US-led military 'surge' against armed groups announced last month by President George Bush.

The present counter-offensive by armed groups, both Sunni and Shia, has seen four US helicopters shot down recently as the insurgents have adjusted their tactics. Elsewhere in the country, a leading Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, renewed an appeal for Iraqis to reject violence and unite.

But in the northern, ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk, a string of car bombings, including a suicide attack, killed at least four civilians and wounded 37 other people. Two of the cars were detonated outside the offices of the main Kurdish parties in the city.

Fearful residents rushed home and shops shut early in anticipation of more attacks, while police imposed a vehicle curfew. A police source said all entrances to Kirkuk were closed to prevent more car bombings.

Further north, another curfew was imposed in Mosul, Iraq's third largest city, after clashes between insurgents and police erupted in several neighbourhoods. A police source accused the militants of planning to take over the city.

The violence continued despite the curfew. A car bomb hit an ambulance and killed an injured woman who was being taken to hospital, and six mortar bombs struck the offices of the state-funded Iraqiya satellite television channel.

The call for more attacks outside the capital came in an audio tape message by Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State of Iraq group. He made it clear he wanted his followers to target a string of Sunni provinces, saying the attacks 'must not involve Baghdad alone'.