Iraq bombings kill dozens

A series of bomb attacks across Iraq killed more than 50 people and injured dozens of others on Thursday, according to Iraqi officials, marking the deadliest day since U.S. forces withdrew from urban centres at the end of last month.

The attacks came one day after car bombs in two Shia villages near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul killed 16 civilians and injured more than two dozen.

Thursday's first and most lethal attackoccurredin the northern town of Tal Afar, about420 kilometres northwest of Baghdad.

At about 6:30 a.m. local time, a suicide bomber knocked on the door of an investigator in the anti-terrorism police force.

When the officer opened the door, the bomber detonated his explosive belt, killing the officer, his wife and son, said Maj.-Gen. Khalid al-Hamadani, police chief of the northern Ninevah province.

As people gathered in the aftermath, another suicide bomber detonated his explosives belt, al-Hamadani said. Thetwo blasts killed a total of 38 people and injured 66.

Baghdad was hit byseveralbomb attacks during the day, including a co-ordinated double blast near a market atabout7:30 a.m. in the Shia district of Sadr City, which killed at least 16 people.

Hassan Abdullah, a 32-year-old vegetable salesman at the market, said he heard the first blast and went to see what was happening when a second bomb hidden in trash exploded. He said he fell to the ground and was taken to a hospital with hand and leg injuries.

Several otherswere killed in smaller attacks in the capital and in southern Kirkuk.

Iraqis initiallyhailed the withdrawal of U.S.military personnelto bases outside of major urbancentres on June 30, but the days since Iraqi forces took over responsibility for securityhave been marred by violence.

Iraq is considered more secure now than in the past years of war, though lethal attacks persist and political reconciliation among the country's diverse factions has yet to occur.

TheU.S. withdrawal came ahead ofa planned full departure of itscombat troops by 2012.