String of bombings rip through Baghdad, killing 49

At least five bombs ripped through apartment buildings across Baghdad Tuesday and another struck a market, killing 49 people and wounding more than 160, authorities said. Iraqi officials blamed Al-Qaida in Iraq insurgents for the violence - the latest sign the countrys fragile security is dissolving in the chaos of the unresolved election. It was the fourth set of attacks with multiple casualties across Iraq in five days, a spate of violence that has claimed more than 100 lives. Attacks have spiked as political leaders scramble to secure enough support to form a government after the March 7 elections failed to produce a clear winner. He also raised the prospect that the impasse could last for months as both sides try to cobble together the majority needed to govern.

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