Who is behind south Iraq bombings?

By Magdi Abdelhadi
BBC Arab affairs analyst

It is not clear if the attack was launched by a Sunni or a Shia group

Multiple car bombs in southern Iraq have killed at least 39 people and wounded many more.

The attacks happened in the predominantly Shia town of Amara.

Although the violence has subsided in Baghdad and central Iraq, there have been occasional outbreaks elsewhere.

The explosions in Amara will undoubtedly raise questions as to whether al-Qaeda or Sunni insurgents chased out of their traditional strongholds in the centre of the country have relocated.

Lead contenders

Clearly, the explosions in Amara carry the hallmark of attacks carried out by al-Qaeda in Iraq before.

The group has in the past targeted Shia areas like Amara using multiple car bombs in quick succession to maximise the damage and carnage.

But southern Iraq has also been the scene of an armed struggle between Shia militias striving to fill the power vacuum resulting from the gradual withdrawal of British troops there.

Two groups in particular have been named as the main contenders: the Mehdi Army of the radical Shia cleric, Moqtada Sadr, and the Badr militia of the Supreme Islamic Council.

There have also been a string of assassinations of police officers and local governors in the south widely believed to be part of this power struggle between the rival Shia factions.