Iraq swamped in deadly attacks by IS group

Peace seems unreachable in Iraq, where terror wave barely abated as the Islamic States (IS) militant group continued to plot deadly suicide bombing attacks.

According to UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, the country has been witnessing some of the worst violence in years, turning many cities and towns into living hell.

In the UN mission's latest estimate, 1,119 Iraqis were killed and 1,561 others wounded in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict across Iraq last month alone.

The momentum continues in May, and the last week saw high casualties caused by suicide attacks and car bombing, mostly in northern and western Iraq that was seized by the IS since June 2014.

On Saturday, five policemen were killed and 14 others wounded in three suicide bomb attacks by the IS group in Iraq's western province of Anbar.

On Friday, three gunmen in a civilian car attacked a popular cafe in Iraq's northern town of Balad after midnight, killing 13 people and wounding 25 others.

The attacks followed a series of car bombing in Baghdad on Wednesday that have killed at least 96 and wounded 171.

On Wednesday morning, an IS militant detonated his car bomb in the predominantly Shiite district of Sadr City, leaving at least 64 killed and 87 others wounded.

A massive blast occurred when a booby-trapped car went off at a popular outdoor market in the Shiite bastion of Sadr City. Most of the victims are women and children. The explosion also destroyed many stalls and civilian cars and caused damage to several nearby shops and buildings.

Only hours later, another suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden car at the crowded square of Adan at the entrance of the holy Shiite district of Kadhmiyah in northern Baghdad, leaving at least 17 people dead and 43 others wounded as many Shiite pilgrims were visiting a holy mosque in Kadhmiyah district.

At the same time, another car bomb ripped through al-Jami'a district in western Baghdad, killing at least 12 people and wounding 31 others.

Following the explosions, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered an immediate investigation.

He said the armed forces will intensify intelligence work to prevent the sleeper cells from moving within cities and carrying out the bombing attacks against citizens, vowing to bring the terrorist group to justice.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday condemned the "terrorist massacres."

It declared solidarity with Iraq against organized terrorist attacks which target its religious and cultural institutions, as well as its rich civilization, Emirati state news agency WAM reported.

WAM published a statement conveying its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims of the terrorist attack, and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

In a statement, the UAE foreign ministry stressed that targeting the "benevolent people of Iraq" reflects the divide and "hate scene afflicting our region, which seeks through terrorism to fuel despicable sectarianism."

Jordan also condemned the terrorist attack, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

King Abdullah II of Jordan sent a cable to Iraqi President Fouad Masoum condemning the attack.

He voiced Jordan' support to Iraq and its efforts to restore stability.

The Iraqi army is battling the IS in the country's western and northern regions, vowing to retake Mosul, the second largest city, by the end of this year. In retaliation, IS militants waged a wave of bombing attacks across the country, in an attempt to spark sectarian conflicts.

However, the military operations were impeded by a political crisis as parties could not reach a compromise on a government reshuffle.

Source: XINHUA