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Scores Killed in Wave of Violence Across Iraq


A series of car bombings has killed nearly 60 people in the Iraqi capital, part of a day of violence that saw militants attack an Iraqi university.

The blasts in Baghdad Saturday targeted mainly Shi'ite areas, underscoring the sectarian violence that has been on the rise in Iraq.

Elsewhere, heavy fighting between militants and security forces raged a second day in the northern city of Mosul. Officials say 38 militants and 21 police officers have died in the clashes.

In Iraq's western province of Anbar, gunmen attacked a university and took dozens of students hostage before security forces led an assault to retake the campus.

Police say militants began the attack by killing three guards at the gate of Anbar University in the city of Ramadi. Security forces later exchanged fire with the militants and sealed off the area.

There has been no claim of responsibility for Saturday's assault in Ramadi, although the group called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has carried out many attacks in recent months.

The group remains in control of the city of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi, the provincial capital.

On Friday, the U.N. refugee agency said about 480,000 people have fled their homes since fighting escalated between Shi'ite-led government forces and Sunni rebels in Anbar early this year.

Some information for this report comes from AP, AFP and Reuters.
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