The United Nations warned on Friday that Iraq is at a "crossroads" and appealed for restraint, as four days of violence, including several attacks at mosques, killed more than 200 people.

The United Nations warned on Friday that Iraq is at a "crossroads" and appealed for restraint, as four days of violence, including several attacks at mosques, killed more than 200 people.

"I call on the conscience of all religious and political leaders not to let anger win over peace, and to use their wisdom, because the country is at a crossroads," UN envoy Martin Kobler said in a statement.

The call came a day after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki warned of a return to "sectarian civil war."

Violence rocked south of the northern city of Kirkuk on Friday, and gunmen killed a Sahwa anti-Qaeda member south of Kirkuk, while seven Katyusha rockets wounded two civilians in the city, police and a medical source said.