Attacks across Iraq kill 6

A series of attacks across Iraq on Sunday killed six people in the latest in spiralling violence which has sparked fears of a revival of the brutal sectarian war that blighted the country. The surge in unrest comes as Iraq grapples with months of protests by the Sunni Arab community and protracted political deadlock. Analysts warn there may be no respite before general elections next year. Attacks on Sunday struck in Mosul, Dawr, Sharqat and Hilla, killing four people and wounding eight, while officials also found the bodies of two men who had been shot in Sharqat. A 17-year-old girl killed by a roadside bomb near Dawr, north of Baghdad, was among the dead. The latest attacks pushed the nationwide death toll for June to 439, the third successive month the figure has topped 400, according to an AFP tally based on reports from security and medical officials. More than 1,000 people died in unrest across Iraq in April and May. However, figures compiled by the United Nations are higher still, pegging the death toll for April and May at more than 1,750. Iraq has seen a rise in violence since the beginning of the year, coinciding with rallies among the Sunni Arab minority against what demonstrators see as discrimination and the authorities targeting them. Analysts say a government failure to address protesters' grievances has given militant groups recruitment fodder and room to manoeuvre.