36 People Die in Unrelenting Iraq Violence
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writers
48 minutes ago
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A bomb ripped through a vegetable market in a Shiite section of Baghdad, and a leading Sunni politician escaped an attack on his convoy Thursday as at least 36 people were killed in unrelenting violence, pushing Iraq toward civil war.
An aide to Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, meanwhile, lashed out at Sunni, Kurdish and secular political leaders who have mounted a campaign to deny him another term, saying the Shiite United Iraqi alliance will not change its candidate.
Al-Jaafari met with representatives of the main political parties Thursday night to discuss ways of containing the sectarian attacks, reversing an earlier decision to cancel the meeting after the move against him.
The Iraqi government later announced a one-day ban on private vehicles in Baghdad and its outskirts aimed at averting violence on Friday, when Muslims attend the most important prayer service of the week.
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