DHAKA: A spate of rush hour car bombs rocked Shia-majority areas of Baghdad Tuesday, killing 21 people in the first major series of attacks to hit the Iraqi capital since elections last month.

The violence, which also wounded more than 60 people, came as officials are tallying votes from April 30 parliamentary polls amid a protracted surge in bloodshed that has left more than 3,300 people dead already this year.

The government has blamed external factors, such as the civil war raging in neighboring Syria, for the escalating unrest this year.

But analysts and diplomats say the Shiite-led authorities must also do more to reach out to the disaffected Sunni minority and undermine support for militancy, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1804 HRS, MAY 13, 2014