An Iraqi man inspects the aftermath of a car bomb attack in Baghdad's Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, Iraq, Thursday, July 31, 2014.
Iraqi medical and security officials say two car bombs have exploded in Shiite neighbourhoods of Baghdad killing 51 people.
Police said the first attack on Wednesday evening was a double car bombing in a shopping area of Sadr City, a Shiite neighbourhood in the east of the city, killing 31 people and wounding 34 others.
Later on in the night, another car packed with explosives detonated in the nearby neighbourhood of Ur, also predominantly Shiite, killing 11 more people.
Medical officials confirmed the death toll and like police, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press.
Baghdad has been on edge since the Sunni militants led by the Islamic State extremist group seized the northern city of Mosul in June and threatened the capital.