Bombings, shootings around Iraq kill 22 BOMBINGS and shootings around Iraq have killed 22 people and wounded more than 50. The attacks in Shiite neighbourhoods and on security forces underscore how deadly Iraq remains, even though violence has dropped dramatically since a few years ago when the country appeared about to descend into civil war. Over the past month, more than 200 Iraqis have been killed in attacks. The latest deadliest strike came about 9.30am local time in the Shiite Muslim neighbourhood of Washash in western Baghdad, where eyewitnesses said a taxi exploded outside a local market. Eight people died and 26 were injured, police and hospital officials said. Bombings generally are a hallmark of Sunni Muslim insurgents linked to al-Qaeda, and Shiites remain one of their main targets. Baghdad operations command spokesman Colonel Dhia al-Wakil said no overall conclusion about Iraq's security can be drawn from the overnight attacks, which he said are believed to be unrelated. He described Iraq's security as "generally stable, and these attacks by no means should be taken as an indication that the terrorists are able to defy our security forces." He said security forces had defused several car bombs recently and arrested suspects believed to be behind this month's wave of violence. While violence has dramatically dropped from the wide scale sectarian fighting between 2006 and 2008, deadly bombings and shootings in Iraq still happen almost every day. The recent increase in attacks comes as the government is embroiled in a months-long political crisis in Iraq that has Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds calling for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to resign for sidelining his political opponents. The impasse has all but paralysed the government.