Iraqi tribal leaders demand federation All-out war threatened by Anbar's Sunni leaders as new wave of sectarian violence leaves scores dead across the country. Last Modified: 20 May 2013 19:08 Tribal leaders in Iraq are warning of war unless the country splits into a federation amid a deadly new wave of apparently sectarian violence. Monday's car bombings across Iraqi cities left at least 77 people dead and more than 240 others injured, police and medics say, pushing the death toll over the past week to above 200. The worst attack occurred in Baghdad, where 10 car bombs struck open-air markets and other areas of Shia neighbourhoods, killing at least 47 people and wounding more than 150, police officials said. In the bloodiest incident, a parked car bomb blew up in a busy market in the northern Shia neighbourhood of Shaab, killing 14 and wounding 24, police and health officials said. The bloodshed still cannot be compared to what reigned during the dark days of 2006-2007, when armed groups carried out retaliatory attacks against each other in a cycle of violence that left the country awash in blood. Even so, the latest attacks have heightened fears that the country could be heading towards civil war. Worsening tensions The predominantly Shia city of Basra in southern Iraq was also hit on Monday, with two car bombs there - one outside a restaurant and another at the city's main bus station - killing at least 13 and wounded 40, according to the provincial police spokesperson. In the town of Balad, about 80km north of Baghdad, a car bomb exploded next to a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims, killing six Iranians and one Iraq and wounding nine people, a police officer said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but the fact that they all occurred in Shia areas raised the suspicion that Sunni fighters were involved. Spotlight Follow Al Jazeera coverage of the past decade Also, Sunni fighters, particularly al-Qaeda in Iraq, are known to employ such large-scale bombings bear. Monday's violence did not spare Sunni areas, hitting the city of Samarra, north of Baghdad, and the western province of Anbar, a Sunni stronghold and the birthplace of the protest movement. A parked car bomb in Samarra went off near a gathering of pro-government Sunni armed groups who were waiting outside a military base to receive salaries, killing three and wounding 13. In Anbar armed men ambushed two police patrols near the town of Haditha, killing eight police officers, police and army officials said. Also in Anbar, authorities found 13 dead bodies in a remote desert area, officials said. The bodies, which included eight police officers who were kidnapped by armed men on Friday, had been killed with a bullet to the head. Federation urged The pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat reported on Monday that Sunni protest leaders have called for "armed confrontation or the declaration of an [autonomous] region". In response, Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, has said he is willing to contemplate the establishment of an autonomous region in the Sunni-dominated western provinces, provided it comes about through the correct legal procedures, according to the independent Al Sumaria television. Political analyst: Federal system will not work in Iraq Sunni demonstrators have been calling for the release of security detainees and the repeal of laws that they claim Maliki's Shia-dominated government uses to discriminate against them. Osama al-Nujaifi, the Sunni parliamentary speaker of Iraq, has called an emergency session on Tuesday to discuss the worsening security situation. Al-Nujaifi, who asked security chiefs on Saturday to attend the session, has also demanded "a clear position from the international community on what is taking place in Iraq". His decision elicited criticism from Maliki, who urged politicians to stay away from the parliamentary session. "The politicians bear the responsibility for the sectarian escalation because of their statements, calls for violence and sectarian positions," Maliki said. "Ignorant people pick up on that and go out bearing weapons and calling for fighting." Furthermore, accusing some politicians of having set up armed groups, Maliki said: "The Chamber of Deputies is one of the main players in the current disturbances in the country." Sunni protests Sectarian tensions have been worsening since Iraq's minority Sunni Muslims began protesting what they say is mistreatment at the hands of the Shia-led government. The mass demonstrations, which began in December, have largely been peaceful. However, the number of attacks rose sharply after a deadly security crackdown on a Sunni protest camp in northern Iraq on April 23. Iraq's Shia majority, which felt oppressed under Saddam Hussein's rule, now holds the levers of power in the country. Wishing to rebuild the nation rather than revert to open warfare, they have largely restrained their armed groups over the past five years or so as some hardline Sunni fighters such as al-Qaeda have targeted them with occasional large-scale attacks. But the renewed violence in both Shia and Sunni areas since late last month has escalated concerns of a return to sectarian warfare. Source: Al Jazeera and agencies [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! 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