Serial car bombs kill nearly 70, injure 200 in Iraqi capital

Sixty-nine people have been killed and 200 others wounded in a series of car bombs in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, while Iraqis were celebrating Eid al-Fitr holiday.

Iraqi authorities said some nine blasts rocked mostly Shia neighborhoods on Saturday, when people were marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

One blast hit a park in the town of Zubeidiyah, south Baghdad, while others exploded near cafes and shopping centers during the busy afternoon hours.

One of the bombings was near a market in the southeastern suburb of Baghdad, in which seven were killed and 20 wounded.

In a similar incident, 10 people lost their lives and 45 others injured after a car bomb exploded in a busy street in the town of Tuz Khurmato, north of Baghdad.

The bombings, which are reportedly coordinated, were similar to the ones that rocked Baghdad on Tuesday, in which 50 were killed.

The deadly attacks came after Iraqi security officials imposed tight security measures across the country for the Eid holidays.

Iraq has seen a surge in violence since the beginning of this year. Some 671 people have been killed in the holy month of Ramadan alone.

The United Nations said on August 1 that a total of 1,057 Iraqis were killed and another 2,326 were wounded in acts of terrorism and violence in the month of July, making it the country’s deadliest month since 2008.

More than 4,000 people have died in terrorist attacks in Iraq so far in 2013, with Baghdad province being the worst hit.