Iraq crisis: Market bombings kill at least 12

Two car bombs went off and a suicide bomber blew themselves up in the predominantly Shia town of Judaida al-Shat in Diyala province.

Dozens of people were wounded in the attacks, reports said.

It is the latest in a series of almost daily attacks across Iraq, raising fears of a return to the worst levels of sectarian violence in years.

Last month was the bloodiest in Iraq since June 2008, with 1,045 Iraqi civilians and security officials killed, according to UN figures, BBC informed.

Reports say the near-simultaneous car bombs ripped through the vegetable market in the town, just outside the provincial capital, Baquba, 60km (35 miles) north- east of Baghdad.

The area was recently hit by twin car bombings which killed at least 41 people outside a Sunni mosque in Baquba about three weeks ago.

No group has admitted carrying out Monday's attacks, but Sunni militants linked to al-Qaeda have previously used co-ordinated explosions to target Shia Muslims, whom they regard as apostates.

Tensions between the Shia Muslim majority, which leads the government, and minority Sunnis has been growing since last year.

Sunnis have accused the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of discriminating against them - a claim the government denies.