The feared resumption of mass sectarian violence erupted Sunday in a Baghdad slum when bombers blew apart two markets shortly before sunset, killing at least 44 people and wounding about 200. The bloody assaults on Sadr City came only minutes after Iraqi political leaders said the new parliament will convene Thursday, three days earlier than planned, as the U.S. ambassador pushed to break a stalemate over naming a unity government. The attackers struck with car bombs, including a suicide driver, and mortars at the peak shopping time, destroying dozens of market stalls and vehicles as the explosives ripped through the poor neighborhood as residents were buying food for their evening meals, according to a report of the Associated Press.