BAGHDAD - At least 40 people have been killed in violence in Iraq since Thursday night, security and medical sources said, including 26 in anti-Shiite attacks.
In the deadliest incident, 17 people died and at least 25 were wounded when a man wearing an explosives belt blew himself up in a Shiite mosque in the southern Baghdad district of Dura.
"The attack was carried out by a suicide bomber wearing an explosives belt at the Kazimain mosque in Abu Dishr near Dura," a police officer said.
Twin suicide bombers killed three people and wounded more than 15 at the Ali al-Baya mosque, another Shiite place of worship in western Baghdad, as the faithful were about to leave weekly Friday prayers, hospital and police sources said.
In the third incident, three people, including a child, were killed and five wounded in a blast apparently targeting a police station but struck outside a cafe in northwest Baghdad's predominantly Shiite Shula district.
Two Iraqi soldiers were killed and four civilians wounded in a suicide attack targetting Shiite pilgrims waiting at an army checkpoint between Mahmudiyah and Latifiyah, south of Baghdad, police said.
"A suicide bomber in a car drove at the checkpoint where there were pilgrims going to Karbala, the holy Shiite city, killing two soldiers and wounding four civilians," said Captain Hassan Awad Amari.
A Shiite Turkman was killed in a bomb blast close to a mosque in the northern city of Kirkuk, police said.
The man went to move a bag that had been placed on a car blocking the road to the mosque and it exploded.
Twelve Iraqis and two US soldiers died in violence not obviously aimed at Shiites elsewhere in the country since Thursday evening.
Most of the violence targeted Iraqi security forces north of Baghdad, while south of the capital the bodies of two sons of Najaf's police chief were found.
"The bodies of Haidar and Baha al-Jazaeri were found at 10 am (0700 GMT) in Hindiya district, 10 kilometres (six miles) north of Karbala," a police source said. "The two bodies had their hands tied and were riddled with bullets."
North of the capital, an army officer was shot dead as he bought petrol, the army said.
"Unknown armed assailants opened fire Friday on officer Baha Yunes as he was filling up at the Baquba black market," 60 kilometres northeast of Baghdad, said Mohammad Moqdad.
"Yunes was killed and three civilians, including a five-year-old child, were wounded," he added.
An Iraqi soldier died and five others were wounded in a bomb attack Friday morning east of Samarra, a Sunni stronghold 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
Another soldier was killed and one wounded in a mortar attack on their base near Dhuluiya, 70 kilometres (45 miles) north of the capital, the army said.
Three civilians were killed and a child wounded in a roadside bomb blast north of Samarra, police said.
Meanwhile, the bodies of four Iraqis were found at Makhul, near Baiji, 200 kilometres (130 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
The dead had their hands tied and each had been killed by a bullet to the head.
Identity papers found on the bodies showed they worked on a US base and a pamphlet claiming responsibility was also found, signed by the Horror Brigades of the Secret Islamic Army in Iraq, said police Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Salah Janabi.
The US military said one of its soldiers had been shot dead in Mosul on Thursday, and another killed in a bomb blast north of the capital on Friday.
Two insurgents died and another was wounded when a bomb they were planting detonated prematurely, the US military said.
The bomb exploded "along a coalition forces main supply route at about 6 pm" (15OO GMT) on Thursday, said a statement.
The wounded man was detained and taken for medical treatment, said the statement issued by US forces in Tikrit, north of Baghdad.
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