Wednesday, May 24 2006 09:43 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Baghdad: At least 39 people were killed yesterday (May23, 2006) as the new Baghdad government, aiming to tackle security without nominees in three key posts, acknowledged it is facing a surge in rebel violence.

The deadliest single attack killed 11 people at a Shiite mosque in north Baghdad, where a bomb planted in a motorcycle went off outside as worshippers were leaving following late night prayers, the defence ministry said.

An Iraqi military commander said a spate of 600 attacks had killed nearly 100 people in the past week.

"We've noticed an increase in terrorist attacks in the last three days after the formation of the new Government," said Major General Abdel Aziz Mohammed, commander of the defense ministry's operations room.

"General Mohammed said 98 civilians had been killed and 280 wounded in 607 attacks in the week to yesterday. Some 85 suspected insurgents were killed by coalition and Iraqi forces in the same period," he added.

A United Nations report said nearly 2,500 people been killed in March and April and 85,000 had fled their homes.

US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad acknowledged that parts of Iraq were out of the control of government troops and their coalition allies.

In other violence, a car bomb exploded at a large vegetable market in the Baghdad Shiite neighbourhood of Sadr City, killing five people, police said.

In the main northern city of Mosul, a family of blacksmiths was targeted when gunmen drove up next to their car and opened fire, killing four people and wounding one, police said.