The relative quiet which Iraq has enjoyed in the past few months came to a screeching halt today when a pair of back-to-back car bombings at a bus station in southern Baghdad caused scores of casualties. The attacks came as two parked cars loaded with explosives were detonated.

Other roadside bombings on the opposite end of Baghdad killed at least two other civilians, bringing the overall death toll in the city to at least 18. Over 50 were also wounded in the attack. All the attacks occurred in Shi’ite neighborhoods, or targeted Shi’ite pilgrims.

Though it is unclear if the two are connected, the United States had predicted that there could be violence as a result of last month’s provincial elections. A number of accusations of fraud, particularly in Sunni parts of the country, have fueled anger at the Shi’ite-dominated Maliki government, which gained enormously in the vote.

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