Series of deadly bombings hit Iraqi capital

At least 40 people were killed and 56 others wounded in a series of bomb attacks in Baghdad on Thursday, officials said.

Several areas of the Iraqi capital were targeted. Two of the areas are Shia majority neighborhoods, and another is a mix of Sunni and Shia Muslims, according to police officials. In all, seven car bombs were detonated.

Mohammed Sabri, a retired government employee, was on his way to the market in Husseiniyah when he heard the explosion.

"I got closer and saw burning cars, two charred bodies and several people on the ground," he said. "Security officials keep telling us that their forces are able to protect us, but this has not happened yet."

One of explosions happened less than a quarter mile outside of the capital's Green Zone diplomatic complex, killing four and wounding 12 people, the official sources said without giving details.

The zone is a highly fortified area housing Western embassies, including the U.S. mission. The explosion also was close to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, which has been a frequent target of attacks.

Iraq, which has a Shia-led government, is experiencing some of the worst violence since U.S. troops left the country 18 months ago. Most of it has involved Sunni Islamist militant groups targeting Shia Muslim districts. But as in the most recent attacks, Sunni areas also have been hit.

Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for similar attacks in the past week in which scores of civilians were killed during celebrations marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki promised to hunt down those behind the wave of Ramadan attacks.

"The operations we have started to go after the terrorist gangs and those who stand behind them will continue unabated," Maliki said in a short television speech.

Iraqi security forces have imposed tight security measures in and around the capital since two brazen jailbreaks in July, and attacks have been on the rise in Iraq since a deadly security crackdown in April on a Sunni protest camp.

Nearly 4,000 people have been killed in violence from the beginning of the year, raising fears Iraq could see a new round of widespread sectarian bloodshed similar to that which brought the country to the edge of civil war during 2006 and 2007.

Al Jazeera and Wire Services