A wave of car bombs rocked Baghdad on Saturday killing dozens and wounding scores more.
The bombings, which hit mostly Shi-ite areas of Iraq's capital, came as people marked the end of Ramadan with the Eid al-Fitr festival.
Reuters estimates that at least 50 were killed and 140 were wounded in the attacks.
"This Ramadan in Iraq is thought to have been one of the deadliest in years, with more than 670 people killed," BBC News reports.
Saif Mousa, a shoe store owner in the neighborhood of New Baghdad, an area hit by one of the day's car bombs, told the Associated Press, "My shop's windows were smashed and smoke filled the whole area. I went outside of the shop and I could hardly see because of the smoke. ... At the end, we had a terrible day that was supposed to be nice."
Agence France-Presse adds:
Violence has markedly increased this year, especially since an April 23 security operation at a Sunni Arab anti-government protest site that sparked clashes in which dozens died.
Protests erupted in Sunni-majority areas in late 2012, amid widespread discontent among Sunnis, who accuse the Shiite-led government of marginalising and targeting them.
_____________________
