Iraq reeling after day of bloodshed

Iraq is still reeling from its bloodiest day since the US-led security crackdown began two months ago.

Almost 200 people were killed as a series of explosions rocked Baghdad in what may have been a co-ordinated attack.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, himself a member of the majority Shia community, condemned the attackers as "vampires" and "soldiers of Satan".

He ordered the arrest of the Iraqi army commander in charge of security in Sadriya for failing to secure the area.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates called the bombings "horrifying".

US military officials said early indications showed Sunni Islamist al-Qaeda members were to blame.

In the deadliest blast, a parked car blew up in Sadriya market in the centre of the capital Baghdad killing at least 140 people and wounding 139. Many of the dead are reported to be women and children.

An hour earlier, a suicide car bomber had crashed into an Iraqi checkpoint at an entrance to Sadr City, killing 35 people.

Witnesses said dozens of bodies could be seen at the busy intersection which is near a popular market in the Shia stronghold after the bomb detonated in a traffic jam of several civilian cars, destroying at least eight vehicles.

Meanwhile, a car which was parked near a private hospital in the neighbourhood of Karradah exploded killing 11 people and wounding 13.

Another blast occurred on a minibus in the northwestern Risafi area, killing four people.

One witness said: "I saw dozens of dead bodies. Some people were burned alive inside minibuses. Nobody could reach them after the explosion."

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