The U.S. military blamed a renegade Shiite group Wednesday for a deadly car bombing in a Baghdad Shiite neighborhood and said it was seeking to re-ignite the sort of sectarian violence that swept the area 18 months ago. Iraqi officials said the death toll from the bombing rose to 63, including women and children.The Iraqi government said the horrific attack on Tuesday, the deadliest in Baghdad in three months, would stiffen its resolve "to defeat the terrorists and to maintain the security achievements."
No group claimed responsibility for the blast, which occurred on a bustling commercial street in Hurriyah, scene of some of the bloodiest sectarian slaughter in 2006. That led to speculation Sunni extremists may have been behind the attack.
But U.S. spokesman Lt. Col. Steven Stover said the command did not believe al-Qaida in Iraq was behind the attack based on the type of vehicle and explosives used.
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