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A series of car bombings in Baghdad on Tuesday killed at least 127 people and injured nearly 500 others, according to Iraq's Interior Ministry.
The first vehicle, reportedly targeted at a police patrol, exploded at southern Baghdad's Dora district at approximately 10 am local time, and was followed by four similar blasts.
One of the blasts struck near the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs while the other two took place in crowded commercial areas like Nahdha and al-Qashla Square.
The fifth bomb exploded outside the Karkh Civil Court in western Baghdad, reported CNN.
Media reports claimed that sounds of sporadic gunfire and emergency sirens could be heard after the blasts. The latest terror attack comes after a lull in violence in the conflict-torn city-- Baghdad had last witnessed a terror attack in early October, when twin car bombings had killed 155 people in the Iraqi capital.
Iraq's National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie claimed that militants supported by the Al Qaeda were behind the attacks. According to him, the militants wanted to destabilise the country and strike fear into the hearts of the voters before the general polls, scheduled to be held in February.
The blasts were clearly targeted against official establishments -- the offices of the interior ministry, the social affairs ministry and the institute of fine arts were located near the blast sites.
The casualties included several personnel of security forces, said authorities. Rescuers were looking for victims who were still buried under the debris.
Image: An Iraqi soldier walks past burnt vehicles at the site of a bomb attack in northern Baghdad | Photograph: Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters