A series of bombings in a market north of Baghdad has killed at least 12 people and injured dozens, officials say.

Two car bombs went off and a suicide bomber blew themselves up in the predominantly Shia town of Judaida al-Shat in Diyala province, the BBC informs.

Reports say the near-simultaneous car bombs ripped through the vegetable market in the town, just outside the provincial capital, Baquba, 60km (35 miles) north- east of Baghdad.

No group claimed the attack, but Iraq is facing a surge in sectarian violence that officials blame on Sunni insurgents determined to drag the country into a civil war.

Al Jazeera has noted that violence has spiked in Iraq in recent weeks, raising fears of a return to widespread sectarian bloodshed.

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