A new wave of attacks struck war- torn Iraq on Tuesday morning and killed at least seven people, including three soldiers, while 75 others were injured in the violence, police said.

Three Iraqi soldiers were killed and seven others wounded in an attack by an armed group at a base of the Iraqi army in Tarmiya, some 30 km north of Baghdad, a police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The casualties of the gunmen were not yet known and the security forces had cordoned off the area to prevent more attacks, he added.

Earlier, at least three people were killed and more than 43 others wounded when two car bombs exploded in the Hussein district in Tuz Khormato, some 170 km north of Baghdad.

The blasts caused considerable damage to a number of houses and civilian cars nearby and the Iraqi security forces also cordoned off the scene, he said.

One civilian was killed and 25 others were injured when three bombs exploded in quick succession in a sheep market in the Auraba district of Kirkuk, some 250 km north of Baghdad, the police source said.

Tuesday's violence came amid escalation of sectarian tension between the Sunni and Shiite communities, which has been at its highest level since the US troops pulled out of the country at the end of 2011.

On Monday, a series of car bombs and shootings mainly targeting Shiite areas across Iraq killed at least 70 people, including several Iranian pilgrims, and wounded more than 200, apparently in an attempt to stir up sectarian strife among Iraqis.