August 10, 2009 - Al Qaeda in Iraq is trying Monday to foment sectarian tensions by attacking and killing Iraqi civilians, a government spokesman told CNN.

Bombings across the country have killed 48 and wounded 231 others -- most of them civilians in Shiite areas -- according to Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Abdul Karim Khalaf.

"Most of the terrorists attacks carried out by al Qaeda in Iraq were against civilians and not Iraqi security forces," Khalaf said. "This is an indication that al Qaeda in Iraq cannot face the Iraqi security forces."

The deadliest attack on Monday happened near the northern city of Mosul when two truck bombs destroyed 32 homes, killing 30 people and burying others in the rubble, officials said.

The bombs targeted al-Khazna village, which is inhabited by a Shiite Shabak ethnic group. The village is an area disputed between Kurds and Arabs.

Car bombings and a roadside bomb in Baghdad killed 18 others on Monday, most of them Shiites.

"This is the card that al Qaeda in Iraq is now playing by targeting mostly Shiite areas and neighborhoods to agitate the sectarian violence," Khalaf said. "But this will not happen because Iraqi security forces and Iraqi people in general are aware of this losing game and they will not fall into this trap."

The attacks come after a series of bombings in Iraq on Friday, mostly aimed at Shia targets, which killed 50 and wounded 154 others. Friday's deadliest attack happened when a suicide car bomb exploded near a Shiite mosque where a funeral was taking place, killing 38.

Last week's attacks occurred at the end of a Shiite Muslim celebration marking the birthday of Imam Mohammed al-Mehdi, the last of 12 historic imams revered by Shiites. Pilgrims participating in such celebrations have been the target of similar attacks by Sunnis.

The bombings sparked fears of sectarian violence and called into question the ability of Iraqi forces. The United States pulled back its combat troops from Iraqi cities and towns on June 30, leaving security responsibilities to the Iraqis and remaining only in a training and advisory capacity. The U.S. military continues to conduct combat operations in areas outside cities and towns.

Khalaf said the recent attacks are part of "an escalation of violence" over the past two months ahead of national elections in January.

"The enemy of Iraq wants to bring down political progress in the country," he said.

CNN