63 killed, 248 wounded in Baghdad explosions

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BAGHDAD, Nov. 3 (agencies): The death toll from a series of coordinated explosions in Baghdad Tuesday rose to 63, while 248 others were wounded, an Interior Ministry source said.
"The latest report said 63 people were killed and 248 others were wounded in the attacks." At least 12 car bomb explosions and one roadside bombing struck Tuesday Baghdad's northwest area of Khadhimiya, northeast areas of Zuhour, Ur and Sadr, as well as southwest areas of Bayaa and Shulaa, which are all Shiite regions. The Sunni-Shiite mixed area of Yarmuk was also hit by explosions, the source said.
Violence and sporadic high-profile attacks are still common in Iraqi cities as part of recent deterioration in security which shaped a setback to the efforts of the Iraqi government to restore normalcy in the country after violence-torn Iraq held parliamentary elections about eight months ago.
Meanwhile: The US has condemned the attacks as "vicious violence". It comes after at least 52 people were killed in Baghdad Sunday as police stormed a church where hostages were being held. The incident is the first concerted show of force by insurgents for months.
"The United States strongly condemns the vicious violence," National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said in a statement Tuesday.
He added: "We have confidence that the people of Iraq will remain steadfast in their rejection of efforts by extremists to spark sectarian tension."
At least seven neighbourhoods were targeted by Tuesday night's explosions, some of which detonated near cafes or restaurants.
Most of the explosions were car bombs but there was also at least one roadside bomb. A salvo of mortars was fired in one area in the south-west of the city.
Officials said the blasts were all in busy, predominantly Shia areas, although Sunni and mixed areas were also hit.
"We were just standing on the street when we heard a loud noise and then saw smoke and pieces of cars falling from the sky," said Hussein al-Saiedi, a resident of the Sadr City area of Baghdad, where a parked car exploded near a market.