Security in the Iraqi capital was heightened and city streets almost empty on Wednesday as many Iraqis stayed home after a series of bombings sparked fears that security forces are overwhelmed by the violence.
The co-ordinated bombings, which came two days after a major attack on a Baghdad church, seemed designed to demonstrate that al-Qaeda in Iraq and other insurgent groups still have a significant presence in the capital.
Sixteen car bombs and roadside bombs detonated across the city on Tuesday evening, prompting the government to declare a security alert and impose snap bans on vehicles.
It also added pressure on squabbling political leaders to form a new government and restore public confidence almost eight months after Iraqis voted in national elections. Parliament, ordered by Iraq's highest court to get back to work, is scheduled to reconvene on Monday.
"The politicians are fighting each other instead of the terrorists," said Amar Ali at his shop in the central Karrada district. "The security forces are not in control. If they can do this to the security situation, these people are capable of making the government fail," he said, referring to the wave of attacks.
More than 70 people were killed and 250 wounded in the blasts on Tuesday. At least 58 people, most of them attending Mass, were killed and 75 wounded after a team of gunmen stormed the Catholic church and Iraqi special forces attempted a rescue on Sunday. The church, Our Lady of Salvation, is one of several in the mixed middle-class neighbourhood of Karrada.
"For the last four months we have seen attacks around Baghdad, but now they are inside (the city)," said Mohamed al-Rubeiy, a Baghdad provincial council member for Karrada. "Karrada is the centre of Baghdad and Baghdad is the centre of the government. That means the terrorists are sending a message to the world: 'We are back and we are here'."
The Islamic State of Iraq, an al-Qaeda-linked umbrella for insurgent groups, warned in a statement that storming the church was just the beginning of attacks on Christians. Tuesday's bombings, which included a Shi'ite mosque, prompted fears of renewed sectarian violence.
The government on Tuesday night imposed emergency measures, including temporarily closing roads, banning cars and raising security forces to their highest alert level.
On Wednesday morning, streets normally choked with traffic were deserted as many parents kept their children home from school. Shoppers who normally would have been out buying clothing and gifts for upcoming religious holidays stayed home, waiting to see how the day would unfold.
"You can see the streets are empty - people are afraid," said Ali, a clean-cut young shopkeeper who lost friends in the bombing. The shelves of the year-old shop were stocked with protein powder and bodybuilding supplements. He said many of his customers were young men who couldn't find other jobs and were trying to build up muscle to become security guards.