U.S. denounces bomb attacks in Iraq
"We condemn these acts, we consider them acts of terror," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said at a regular press briefing.
"They are desperate attempts by the same kind of folk who have been active in Iraq trying to turn back the clock," she added.
A total of 60 people were killed and 138 others injured on Thursday when a series of bomb attacks targeted Shiite pilgrims and neighborhoods in the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad and southern Iraq.
The attacks came amid a political row between Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his political rivals in the Sunni- backed bloc of Iraqia, as Maliki sought to arrest the Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi on terror charges.
Many Iraqis are worried about a resurgence of ethnic and sectarian violence that nearly torn the country apart a few years ago, as the U.S. troops pulled out in December 2011 as scheduled nearly nine years after its invasion of the country.
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey and Vice President Joe Biden have been active in encouraging Iraqi politicians to talk to each other and meet, Nuland said.
"We are quite encouraged that a number of Iraqi politicians are also calling for such a meeting, which we hope takes place soon," she added.
Editor: Mu Xuequan
Source: Xinhua
