Dozens dead in Baghdad bomb attacks

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The bombs began to explode mid-morning, striking first near the finance ministry in northern Baghdad and then minutes later near the foreign ministry next to the heavily fortified Green Zone.

The deadliest was a car bomb near the foreign ministry, which killed at least 48 and wounded more than 240.

A 10-storey building that is part of the ministry complex was badly damaged. The explosion was so strong that it also damaged nearby buildings and destroyed dozens of cars outside. A huge area outside the ministry was covered by debris and broken glass.

The building is close to the street where a car bomb exploded but it was not immediately known whether those killed and wounded included ministry employees. The blast was large enough to damage windows in the parliament building, inside the Green Zone.

Another car bomb targeted a joint Iraqi police and army patrol just outside the finance ministry, killing one Iraqi soldier and two civilians, said another police official.

In western Baghdad, a car bomb exploded in a commercial area in Bayaii, killing at least two and wounding five others.

The blasts follow a string of attacks in Iraq this month that have claimed more than 200 lives and left hundreds more wounded, raising concerns about the abilities of Iraqi security forces to keep the lid on violence in advance of the American withdrawal.