By Agencies

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Multiple explosions in Baghdad have killed at least two people, officials have said, a day after a wave of bombings killed more than 70 people, further deepening the country’s sectarian divide at a time of ongoing political crisis.

Rockets were fired against Baghdad's Green Zone, the hub of international presence in the city, as Iraq's military marked its anniversary with a parade on Friday.
 
Some of the explosions were rockets and mortar rounds, police said. At least two buildings in northern and central Baghdad were hit, leaving 10 injured.

Co-ordinated attacks

The wave of attacks, which comes after the country's bloodiest day of violence in a year, occurred in the prelude to the Shia holy day of Arbaeen, when followers travel to Karbala to mark the end of 40 days of mourning for Imam al-Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
 
On Thursday, co-ordinated attacks targeted Shia Muslims and their communities, leading to an atmosphere of fear that recalls the bloody sectarian war from 2006 to 2007.
 
In the morning, a bomb planted on a parked motorcycle, and another two roadside devices, killed at least nine people and wounded 35 others in the impoverished Sadr City district in northeastern Baghdad, sources said.
 
"There was a group of day labourers gathered, waiting to be hired for work. Someone brought his small motorcycle and parked it nearby," said a police officer at the scene who declined to be named.
 
"A few minutes later it blew up, killed some people, wounded others and burned some cars."
 
Two bomb attacks in Kadhimiyah, another predominantly Shia district in Baghdad's north, killed another 15 people and wounded 31, an interior ministry official said.
 
In the afternoon, a suicide bomber struck Shia pilgrims on their way to the holy city of Karbala. The attack, near Nasiriyah about 200km south of Baghdad, killed at least 45 Iraqis, according to police and hospital reports.
 
"Political leaders fight each other for power, and we pay the price," said Ahmed Khalaf, a labourer near the site of attacks, in reference to the political tension between Sunni and Shia leaders.

Arrest warrant
 
Last month, Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, ordered an arrest warrant against his Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashimi on charges of terrorism.

In a subsequent move, Maliki called for a vote of no confidence against Saleh el-Mutlaq, the deputy prime minister and another leading Sunni politician.
 
Since the warrant was issued, the Sunni-led Iraqiya political bloc has boycotted parliament.

Maliki on Wednesday stated that if the boycott continues, those participating would be placed on "extended leave" and replacements would be found for their positions.
 
Further complicating the situation, the hardline Shia bloc, led by anti-US cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, said it would not be a part of any negotiations that include rival political group Asaeb al-Haq.
 
Maliki recently stated that there could be no security in Iraq without political stability.