A wave of apparently co-ordinated bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, has killed at least 63 people and injured around 185, say officials.
The interior ministry told the BBC 14 blasts hit various locations, 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.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
Jonathan Marcus
BBC Diplomatic Correspondent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With US forces barely out of the country there is a danger that Iraq's fragile political consensus could unravel along communal lines.
Always an uneasy amalgam of Shia, Sunni and Kurdish groupings, the political arrangements instituted in the wake of the Americans' toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime, are now under pressure like never before.
It is hard to know exactly who is behind the current wave of bombings in Baghdad. But in a curious way the violence plays into the hands of all factions seeking to gain from the growing sense of crisis.
Inevitably this crisis is interpreted in some quarters as an effort by the dominant Shia faction to settle scores with its Sunni rivals. Iran is seen by many analysts as operating behind the scenes to bolster the Shia position.
Iran may well be an interested party but this is a genuinely Iraqi crisis fuelled by the diverging political ambitions of Iraqi leaders.
In pictures: Baghdad explosions
However, analysts say the level of co-ordination suggests a planning capability only available to al-Qaeda in Iraq, which is a mainly Sunni insurgent group.
The bombs exploded as many people were travelling to work during the morning rush-hour.
Four car-bombs and 10 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were detonated, officials told the BBC.
A security spokesman in Baghdad, Maj Gen Qassim Atta, said the attacks had not been aimed at security targets.
"They targeted children's schools, day workers and the anti-corruption agency," he told AFP news agency.
Raghad Khalid, a teacher at a kindergarten in Karrada, said "the children were scared and crying".
"Some parts of the car bomb are inside our building."
Smoke was seen rising over Karrada district, with ambulances rushing to the scene.
Another woman said her baby had been covered in glass.
"She is now scared in the next room. All countries are stable. Why don't we have security and stability?" said Um Hanin.
One Baghdad resident, Abu Ali, expressed anger at Iraq's leaders.
"These blasts occurred because of conflicts among politicians," he said.
"We call upon all politicians to resolve their problems and leave people to live in security."
Sectarian tension
Iraq's year-old power-sharing government is in turmoil after an arrest warrant was issued for Sunni Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemi on terror charges.
The entire al-Iraqiyya group, the main Sunni bloc in parliament, is boycotting the assembly in protest. It accuses Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, a Shia, of monopolising power.
Mr Hashemi denies the charges. He is currently in Irbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, under the protection of the regional government, but Mr Maliki has demanded that they give him up.
Continue reading the main story
Recent attacks in Iraq
5 December - At least 30 killed in attacks targeting Shia pilgrims in central Iraq
27 October - 38 killed, 78 injured in twin bomb blasts in a Shia area of Baghdad
12 October - 28 killed by car bombs and roadside bombs around Baghdad
15 August - At least 60 killed in co-ordinated attacks in several Iraqi cities
The BBC's Jim Muir says most Shias will conclude that Iraq's disaffected Sunni leadership was behind the latest attacks.
There is a strong possibility, he says, that insurgents on the Sunni side were just waiting for the most tense moment to unleash attacks they had been planning.
Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, a former national security adviser and an ally of Prime Minister Maliki, told the BBC he believed al-Qaeda was behind the attacks.
"Al-Qaeda try to make use of any political difference and any political dispute," he said.
"I don't think this is sectarian motivated. I honestly believe that Iraq has been moving from sectarian to more issue-based politics."
The leader of one of Iraq's largest Sunni tribes, Ali Hatem Suleiman, told the BBC that Prime Minister Maliki was becoming like Iraq's former ruler, Saddam Hussein.
"Maliki will drive Iraq towards separation and will create a new dictatorship and take on Saddam's mantle."
"Unfortunately this was all agreed upon by America - to hand over Iraq to a new dictator, and so Iraq will implode again," he said.
The last American troops departed from Iraq on Sunday, nearly nine years after the war that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.
President Barack Obama acknowledged that the situation was not perfect, but said the US forces were leaving behind "a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq, with a representative government elected by its people".
The interior ministry told the BBC 14 blasts hit various locations, 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.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
Jonathan Marcus
BBC Diplomatic Correspondent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With US forces barely out of the country there is a danger that Iraq's fragile political consensus could unravel along communal lines.
Always an uneasy amalgam of Shia, Sunni and Kurdish groupings, the political arrangements instituted in the wake of the Americans' toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime, are now under pressure like never before.
It is hard to know exactly who is behind the current wave of bombings in Baghdad. But in a curious way the violence plays into the hands of all factions seeking to gain from the growing sense of crisis.
Inevitably this crisis is interpreted in some quarters as an effort by the dominant Shia faction to settle scores with its Sunni rivals. Iran is seen by many analysts as operating behind the scenes to bolster the Shia position.
Iran may well be an interested party but this is a genuinely Iraqi crisis fuelled by the diverging political ambitions of Iraqi leaders.
In pictures: Baghdad explosions
However, analysts say the level of co-ordination suggests a planning capability only available to al-Qaeda in Iraq, which is a mainly Sunni insurgent group.
The bombs exploded as many people were travelling to work during the morning rush-hour.
Four car-bombs and 10 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were detonated, officials told the BBC.
A security spokesman in Baghdad, Maj Gen Qassim Atta, said the attacks had not been aimed at security targets.
"They targeted children's schools, day workers and the anti-corruption agency," he told AFP news agency.
Raghad Khalid, a teacher at a kindergarten in Karrada, said "the children were scared and crying".
"Some parts of the car bomb are inside our building."
Smoke was seen rising over Karrada district, with ambulances rushing to the scene.
Another woman said her baby had been covered in glass.
"She is now scared in the next room. All countries are stable. Why don't we have security and stability?" said Um Hanin.
One Baghdad resident, Abu Ali, expressed anger at Iraq's leaders.
"These blasts occurred because of conflicts among politicians," he said.
"We call upon all politicians to resolve their problems and leave people to live in security."
Sectarian tension
Iraq's year-old power-sharing government is in turmoil after an arrest warrant was issued for Sunni Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemi on terror charges.
The entire al-Iraqiyya group, the main Sunni bloc in parliament, is boycotting the assembly in protest. It accuses Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, a Shia, of monopolising power.
Mr Hashemi denies the charges. He is currently in Irbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, under the protection of the regional government, but Mr Maliki has demanded that they give him up.
Continue reading the main story
Recent attacks in Iraq
5 December - At least 30 killed in attacks targeting Shia pilgrims in central Iraq
27 October - 38 killed, 78 injured in twin bomb blasts in a Shia area of Baghdad
12 October - 28 killed by car bombs and roadside bombs around Baghdad
15 August - At least 60 killed in co-ordinated attacks in several Iraqi cities
The BBC's Jim Muir says most Shias will conclude that Iraq's disaffected Sunni leadership was behind the latest attacks.
There is a strong possibility, he says, that insurgents on the Sunni side were just waiting for the most tense moment to unleash attacks they had been planning.
Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, a former national security adviser and an ally of Prime Minister Maliki, told the BBC he believed al-Qaeda was behind the attacks.
"Al-Qaeda try to make use of any political difference and any political dispute," he said.
"I don't think this is sectarian motivated. I honestly believe that Iraq has been moving from sectarian to more issue-based politics."
The leader of one of Iraq's largest Sunni tribes, Ali Hatem Suleiman, told the BBC that Prime Minister Maliki was becoming like Iraq's former ruler, Saddam Hussein.
"Maliki will drive Iraq towards separation and will create a new dictatorship and take on Saddam's mantle."
"Unfortunately this was all agreed upon by America - to hand over Iraq to a new dictator, and so Iraq will implode again," he said.
The last American troops departed from Iraq on Sunday, nearly nine years after the war that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.
President Barack Obama acknowledged that the situation was not perfect, but said the US forces were leaving behind "a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq, with a representative government elected by its people".