At least 23 people were killed on Friday in Iraq, including 10 who died as a car bomb targeted Shiite worshippers in the northern part of the country, dpa reported.
A car bomb exploded outside a Shiite mosque in the town of Dajil, some 170 kilometres north of Baghdad, said security officials.
The blast also injured 25.
Iraq has recently seen an upsurge in sectarian tensions amid protests by the Sunni minority against the Shiite-dominated government.
In Kirkuk, some 250 kilometres north of Baghdad, two Sunni fighters and two gunmen were killed in clashes on the city's main road.
Two other Sunni fighters were killed in a blast targeting their vehicle in Kirkuk, police officials said.
The Sunni fighters were part of the Sahwa tribal security forces, who are made up of former Sunni insurgents who have been supporting the government in its fight against al-Qaeda and helping restore order in the country.
Seven people were also killed in bombing attacks in the northern city of Mosul.
Sectarian violence left at least 50 people, mostly Shiites, and policemen dead on Thursday.
A sharp increase in retaliatory Sunni-Shiite attacks raised fears of a return to the violence that pushed the country to the brink of civil war in 2006-2007.