CAR BOMBS IN BAGHDAD KILL 33 PEOPLE

The latest attack in Iraq has left 33 people dead as the death toll from terror related violence reaches the worst level in five years.

On Thursday, a series of car bombs exploded in Baghdad, killing 33 and injuring about 100 others. One of the bombs exploded near the "Green Zone" in Allawi, where government offices are located.

The attack puts the death toll in the past few months at more than 3,000 as violence has surged after a deadly security attack on a Sunni protest camp in April. Throughout 2013, groups including al Qaeda's Iraq arm have ramped up attacks in opposition to the Shiite-led government.

Thursday's attacks hit the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr city and a bus station in the northern Shiite neighborhood of Khazimiyah among other places. One bomb exploded near several Western embassies.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for Thursday's terror attacks.

While the Iraqi government has promised a continuing security crackdown in hopes of ebbing the tide of violence, many fear that the escalation will once again bring the country to the brink of civil war.

Thursday's violence came on the heels of a statement from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Wednesday where he said that the government would, "never give up confronting terrorism."