Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi vowed on Monday to crack down on extremist “sleeper cells” in the country after a double suicide bombing in Baghdad left scores dead and 94 wounded.
At least 31 people were killed in the attack, the second in the capital in three days.
"Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in Tayyaran Square in central Baghdad," said General Saad Maan, spokesman for the Joint Operations Command, which includes the army and the police.
Tayyaran Square is a bustling commercial center and a place where day laborers gather in the early morning waiting for jobs. It has been the site of deadly attacks in the past.
Security forces cordoned off the scene of the blasts as ambulances gathered in the area, an AFP journalist said.
Just hours after the first attack, another bombing in the east of Baghdad killed one person and wounded three, police said.
The bombings come as Iraq gears up for elections in May and as Abadi announced that he will stand for re-election. His newly created "Victory Alliance" will compete in the May 12 polls.
On Saturday, a suicide bomb attack near a security checkpoint killed at least five people in northern Baghdad. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for that bombing.
