Arab League (AL) Secretary General Amr Moussa expressed deep concern on Saturday over the increasing sectarian violence in Iraq.

At least 160 Iraqis were killed in rising sectarian violence during the past few days, pushing the already restive country into fears for a civil war.

The bloodshed continued on Saturday as bomb attacks and gunfire killed dozens of people.

Moussa urged the various Iraqi parties to exercise self- restraint in the face of attempts to sow sectarian sedition among the Iraqis, according to his spokesman Ala'a Rushdi.

Moussa also condemned all acts of violence in Iraq and called on the Iraqi people to unify ranks to ensure their country's unity and territorial integrity, Rushdi added.

Rising sectarian tensions have posed a grave threat to efforts toward the formation of a new Iraqi government.

Leaders of the Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds have been jostling over the makeup of the next cabinet, over two months after the Dec. 15 elections.

Source: Xinhua