Iraq serial suicide explosions claim at least 49 in Shiite areas

Ten car bombs exploded in predominantly Shiite Muslim areas in and around Baghdad on Sunday, while a suicide bomber attacked soldiers queuing up for their pay in northern Iraq, killing 49 people in total, police said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for any of the blasts, but Shiites are seen as apostates by hard-line Sunni Islamists linked with al-Qaida, which has been regaining momentum this year.

Soldiers and security personnel are also prime targets for Sunni militants seeking to destabilize Iraq's Shiite-led government.