BAGHDAD, July 8: Bombings and shootings killed at least 60 people on Sunday around Baghdad in a surge of violence, and prominent Shia and Sunni politicians said civilians should take up arms to defend themselves after a horrific suicide bombing north of the capital.

The calls reflect growing frustration with the ability of Iraqi security forces to prevent extremist attacks following a bloody weekend in which more than 220 people were killed across the country — many of them in a huge truck bombing on Saturday in northern Iraq.

Sunday’s deadliest attack occurred when a bomb struck a truckload of newly recruited Iraqi soldiers on the outskirts of Baghdad, killing 15 soldiers and wounding 20, a police official at the nearest police station said on condition of anonymity.

Also on Sunday, two car bombs exploded near simultaneously in Baghdad’s Karradah district, killing eight people. The first detonated at 10.30am, near a closed restaurant, destroying stalls and soft drink stands. Two passers-by were killed and eight wounded, a police official said.

About five minutes later, the second car exploded about 1.5km away near shops selling leather jackets and shoes. Six people were killed and seven wounded, said the official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.—AP