At least 10 car bombs have exploded in Iraq a day after the country formed a new government.
The string of deadly blasts on Friday killed at least 20 people and wounded 90 in and around Baghdad and al-Madain. The attacks targeted the Iraqi police and army, but also claimed the lives of civilians.
The attacks came a day after parliament voted in the new government of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari, which left several jobs vacant, including the powerful oil and defence ministries.
Thirteen people died and 50 were wounded in four apparently coordinated car bomb attacks in two districts of the capital at about 8am (0400 GMT), the official said.
Five more people died and 14 were wounded when three more car bombs exploded in al-Madain, a town 30km south of the capital that was swept only 10 days ago by the Iraqi army in search of fighters.
Two of the Baghdad blasts targeted Iraqi police forces and the army in the northern district of al-Adhamiyah. Adding to the chaos, fighters fired several mortar shells into the area at the same time, the interior ministry official said.
Two other car bombs targeted police in the eastern district of al-Salikh.
Walid Khalid, an Iraqi journalist, told Aljazeera the car bombs in al-Adhamiyah exploded within 10 minutes of one another.
He said the first bomb exploded in Antar Square hitting an Iraqi police two-vehicle patrol. Two people were killed in the attack and four injured.
Police targeted
A second car bomb targeting an Iraqi National Guards patrol near the Qasim Abu al-Qat restaurant, killed two policemen and two national guards.