At least 35 people have been killed in a series of bomb and suicide attacks in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, police say.

At least 18 people were killed when two car bombs exploded in a busy market in a mainly Shia district of the city.

Eleven more died when a minibus blew up in the Karrada district, while a suicide attack on a bus in the city's northwest left at least six dead.

Rescuers hit

In Baghdad, the bloodiest attacks took place in the south-western Al-Shurta al-Arabaa district, in a busy shopping area.

Two car bombs exploded minutes apart, the second one detonating as rescuers were evacuating victims of the first blast.

About 50 people were injured in the attacks. Women and children were said to be among the casualties.

In Karrada, a minibus packed with explosives blew up in a street of shops selling electronics, officials said.

One shop owner said he saw a man park the bus and leave it.

"Five minutes later, the bus blew up - damaging the surrounded area and burning more than eight civilian cars that were passing by," the Associated Press news agency quoted him as saying.

The third attack took place in north-west Baghdad, where a suicide bomber blew himself up on a minibus, officials said.

The violence followed a suicide attack on Saturday on a crowded market in the Shia holy city of Karbala, which left 42 people dead and dozens more injured.

Car and suicide bombings have occurred almost daily in Baghdad in recent months, despite a US-led security crackdown which began in February.

The security surge does, however, appear to have reduced sectarian killings in the city, analysts say.

Photo caption

A boy looks at the wreckage of one of the cars used  to attack a Baghdad market