Two car bombings at crowded markets in Baghdad on Wednesday killed at least 26 people and wounded 58.
Iraqi police said the first explosion took place in al-Bayaa neighborhood and the second occurred in the northeastern neighborhood of al-Shaab. Both are predominantly Shi'ite Muslim areas.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, but hospital officials corroborated the casualty figures.
The bombings were the third and fourth attacks in the capital area in less than a week. No group immediately claimed responsibility for either strike, but Sunni Islamic State militants who control large parts of northern and western Iraq often target Shi'ite areas across the region.
Currently, Iraqi government forces and Shi'ite militias are focused on the western province of Anbar, where they have been gearing up for an offensive to try to retake the mainly Sunni Muslim area, and on Salahuddin province, north of Baghdad.
A U.S.-led coalition is supporting the operation with airstrikes on militant targets across the country.
Some information for this report came from AP and AFP.
