Families of 62 people killed in a Baghdad market bombing began burying their loved ones as security forces faced criticism over the latest attack in Iraq in the run-up to the 30 June deadline for US troops to pull out of towns and cities across the country.

The attack in the predominantly Shiite slum neighbourhood of Sadr City in northeastern Baghdad was one of the deadliest this year, and also left about 150 people injured, officials said.

A motorcycle rickshaw loaded with explosives covered with fruit and vegetables caused a massive blast at 7:00pm on Wednesday at a time when many people were in the market.

It was the third major attack in Iraq this month, and means that the death toll from violence this month will top the 155 Iraqis killed in May.

A 20 June truck bomb near the northern city of Kirkuk killed 72 people and wounded more than 200 in the deadliest attack in 16 months, and on 10 June, a car bomb in the largely peaceful province of Dhi Qar killed 19 people.

"After hearing the explosion (in Sadr City), I rushed to the market," 20-year-old local resident Saif Mohammed said of the Sadr City blast.

"I saw pieces of flesh and pools of blood... Explosions like this confirm that the Iraqi security forces are not able to protect the people from violence or war."

The attacker jumped off the rickshaw in the middle of Mraidi market and managed to escape before the bomb was set off. The area was closed off by Iraqi security forces for their investigation.

Soon after soldiers arrived, they began firing rounds into the air in a bid to clear the area. Local residents, however, began angrily shouting and throwing rocks at them.

"I heard a boom and saw a ball of fire," said 30-year-old father-of-two Najim Ali, who was shopping in the market when the bomb went off.

"I saw cars flying in the air because of the force of the explosion," he added, saying he fainted shortly after the attack and awoke to find himself in a nearby hospital.

Ali said he had seen wounded people waiting in the hospital's hallways, and added that there were not enough beds to deal with the number of wounded.

The Sadr City bombing comes with less than a week to go before the planned pullout of US troops from Iraqi cities, towns and villages, due by Tuesday, stemming from a US-Iraq security accord signed in November.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki warned earlier this month that insurgents and militiamen were likely to step up their attacks in a bid to undermine confidence in the Iraqi security forces.

But Maliki later told French daily Le Monde that Iraq would not call on US forces to take part in combat operations after they pull out.

Violence has dropped markedly in Iraq in recent months, with May seeing the lowest Iraqi death toll since the 2003 invasion. But attacks remain common, particularly in Baghdad and Mosul.

General Ray Odierno, the top US commander in Iraq, says the majority of his troops have already left Iraqi cities ahead of the deadline.

Also this month, leading Sunni Muslim MP Harith al-Obaidi was assassinated in a Baghdad mosque by a teenage gunman who also killed four other people.

Smaller attacks also hit Iraq on Wednesday, interior ministry officials said. One person was killed and 10 injured by a bomb in the western neighbourhood of Jihad, while four people were wounded by a blast in Saidiyah, south Baghdad.

Seven civilians were injured by a grenade targeting a US patrol in the restive northern city of Mosul, police said.

AFP

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