The explosives-packed cars were parked a few hundred yards (meters) apart near a government agency that issues national identification cards, the telephone exchange building and a state-run bank.[break]
The nearly simultaneous blasts occurred shortly after 11 a.m. as the area was crowded with people at the start of the work week.
Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, the main Iraqi military spokesman for Baghdad, said at least 18 people were killed and 42 wounded.
Those killed included four policemen and two women, according to police and hospital officials, who confirmed the casualty toll on condition of anonymity because they weren´t authorized to release the information to the media.
Persistent bombings in Baghdad and surrounding areas have raised fears that insurgents are stepping up attacks in a bid to foment unrest by exploiting political deadlock following inconclusive March 7 elections.
Last week, suspected al-Qaida in Iraq militants stormed the central bank and exchanged gunfire with Iraqi security forces in a standoff that brought part of the capital to a standstill.
Related story
2 car bombs in eastern Turkey kill 6, wound at least 219
