Iraqi officials said Sunni insurgents have begun a drive to foil the government's latest security plan for Baghdad. They said the insurgents — a combination of Saddam Hussein loyalists and Al Qaida fighters — have struck Shi'ite neighborhoods in and towns around the Iraqi capital.

"These terrorists imagine this will break the will of the Iraqi people and incite strife," Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki said.

Al Maliki blamed the United States for the failure of his security forces to battle Sunni insurgents, Middle East Newsline reported. He said Washington has violated its pledge to supply sufficient equipment to the Iraq Army and police.

"What's really going on is that you can expect, as there is pushback, that there is going to be some increase in violence," White House press secretary Tony Snow said.

In Baghdad, at least 88 people were killed in two coordinated bombings, one of which was a suicide strike, in the Shi'ite area of Rusafa. Officials said Monday's attack was the bloodiest since November 2006. Last month, 63 people were killed in a similar Sunni attack in the same area.

"The Baghdad security plan has not started yet," Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed Askari said.

In one attack, Shi'ite gunners fired a mortar toward the market in Khalis, a predominately-Shi'ite town in the Diyala province about 80 kilometers north of Baghdad. Officials said 12 civilians were killed and 29 were injured. Sunnis and Shi'ites have been fighting for control over Diyala, one of the most volatile provinces in Iraq.

Sunni insurgents have also been targeting U.S. soldiers. Since Jan. 21, at least 27 U.S. soldiers were killed in a range of strikes, including the downing of a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter.

For its part, the U.S. military insurgents has reported the death of 93 insurgents in a 10-day operation against Al Qaida. U.S. Col. David Sutherland told a briefing on Monday that Iraqi troops played a major role in the operation and also captured 57 Al Qaida fighters and 1,200 Katyusha rockets in Diyala.

"During those operations, we saw improvements in the Iraqi army and we see partnering taking place with the Iraqi police." Sutherland said.

The U.S. military also said that American and Iraqi troops captured 16 leaders of the Iranian-sponsored Mahdi Army, believed to have infiltrated the Iraqi police and security forces. The military said it conducted 52 operations against Mahdi since Dec. 8.

"There are currently over 600 illegal Jaysh Al Mahdi militia in detention awaiting prosecution from the government of Iraq," the military said in a statement.

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