At least 16 people have been killed and 65 others wounded in two separate bomb attacks in Baghdad tonight.
One car bomb exploded in a market and the other in a petrol station. Hospital sources said they expected the number of casualties to rise.
Sunni insurgents are waging a campaign of suicide and car bombings, shootings and assassinations in a bid to topple the Shia-led government.
Iraqi and US officials have said they expect a surge in violence following the release of the results of the December 15 parliamentary election, which gave Shi'ite Islamists a near majority.
The United States hopes that talks on forming a new coalition government that encompasses Shia, Kurds and Sunnis will undermine Sunni support for the insurgency and enable it to bring its troops back home.
