Baghdad hit by series of attacks; 49 killed

The interior ministry told the reports 14 locations had been attacked, including al-Amil in the south and Halawi and Karrada closer to the centre.


The bombings are the worst in months - and follow the withdrawal of US troops.


They come amid fears of rising sectarian tensions as the unity government faces internal divisions.


It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks.


However, analysts say the level of co-ordination suggests a planning capability only available to the Sunni insurgent group, al-Qaeda in Iraq.


A security spokesman in Baghdad, Major General Qassim Atta, said the attackers had not aimed at security targets.


"They targeted children's schools, day workers and the anti-corruption agency," he told the AFP news agency.


Raghad Khalid, a teacher at a kindergarten in Karrada, said all their windows had been blown out.


"The children were scared and crying. Some parts of the car bomb are inside our building.


The government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has accused the Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi of running a hit squad that targeted government officials. Al-Maliki is also pushing for a vote of no-confidence against another Sunni politician, the deputy prime minister Saleh al-Mutlaq.


Many Sunnis fear that this is part of a wider campaign to go after Sunni political figures in general and shore up Shiite control across the country at a critical time when all American troops have left Iraq.


There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the morning's violence. But the coordinated nature of the assault and the fact that the attacks took place in numerous neighborhoods suggested a planning capability only available to al Qaeda in Iraq.


Many of the neighborhoods were also Shiite areas which are a favorite target of al Qaeda. The Sunni extremist group often targets Shiites who they believe are not true Muslims.


Al Qaeda in Iraq is severely debilitated from its previous strength in the early years of the war, but is still able to launch coordinated and deadly assaults from time to time.


U.S. military officials have said they're worried about a resurgence of al Qaeda after the American military leaves the country. If that happens, it could lead Shiite militants to fight back and attack Sunni targets, thus sending Iraq back to the sectarian violence it experienced just a few years ago.