6 Car Bombs Kill 48 in Baghdad

Six car bombs rattled predominantly Shiite areas of Baghdad within four hours today, killing 48 and injuring 81. The three bloodiest explosions went off in quick succession in Sadr City, a dense Shiite neighborhood, CNN reports. The bombings were similar to seven coordinated attacks earlier this month, which the US says were orchestrated by al-Qaeda in Iraq.

A separate roadside bomb also killed five people in a Sunni suburb of Baghdad. Earlier today, US and Iraqi troops were ambushed in northern Iraq, wounding one soldier and a woman. Bombings are up in Iraq this month, as are tensions, as the prime minister accused the US military of violating a security agreement. 15 American soldiers have died, compared to nine last month. (More Iraq stories.)