53 people killed in nine car bomb attacks in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, May 27 (UPI) -- The death toll from a series of car bombings across Baghdad Monday rose to more than 50, officials said.

At least 53 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded, The New York Times reported, another sign of a surge in sectarian violence during the last month.

Nine car bombs were detonated across Baghdad.

Seven of the nine bombs were set off in Shiite neighborhoods, one of the bombs was detonated in the central Baghdad commercial area Bab al-Sharqi, and the last one exploded near a Sunni mosque in eastern Baghdad, CNN reported.

In the past several weeks, Iraq has seen an increase in political and sectarian violence, most involving Sunni Muslims attacking Shiites and the Shiite-led government.

More than 300 people have been killed in violence across Iraq since the start of May, CNN said.

In response to the increased violence, Iraqi security forces have increased their presence in Baghdad and established more checkpoints.