Attacks on troops, blasts kill 35 in Iraq

Three suicide bombings killed 14 Iraqi security force members overnight, officials said yesterday, the deadliest in a series of attacks that left 35 people dead in two days.
The attacks come as Iraq witnesses its worst violence since 2008, a surge in unrest that has killed more than 5,400 people this year that has persisted despite authorities having carried out a swathe of operations and implemented tightened security measures.
Since the beginning of 2013, AFP has recorded just 16 days in which there were no deaths from violence in Iraq, the most recent of which was May 24. Experts say Baghdad should turn to longer-term efforts that build trust among citizens, especially members of the country's Sunni minority.