At least 20 people have been killed in a wave of car bomb attacks in several cities in central and southern Iraq.
The attacks were carried out in the cities of Kut, Aziziyah, Mahmudiyah, Nasiriyah and Basra on Saturday.
More than 50 people were also wounded in the attacks, where terrorists used seven vehicles rigged with explosives.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombings, but al-Qaeda-lined militant groups, who are seeking to destabilize the central government of Iraq, frequently carry out such coordinated attacks.
There has recently been an upsurge in violence across Iraq, and the authorities say Qatar and Saudi Arabia have had a hand in some of the deadly incidents.
The United Nations says a total of 1,045 people were killed and nearly 2,400 were injured in violent incidents in Iraq in the month of May.
On May 30, UN Ambassador to Iraq Martin Kobler warned that Å“systemic violence is ready to explode at any moment.”
He also urged Iraqâ„¢s political leaders to Å“engage immediately to pull the country out of this mayhem.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said that militant groups and the remnants of the former Baâ„¢athist regime are responsible for the latest wave of violence.
DB/HSN
This article originally appeared on: Press TV