Al-Qaida insurgents said in a statement posted on a militant website that the attacks against Shiite civilians at restaurants and cafes across the capital on Tuesday was just "the first of many bloody days to come."
The threat of more attacks on Shiites comes days after the group also vowed to launch more strikes on Iraq's Christians following a bloody siege on Sunday at a Baghdad church that left 58 people dead.
In its claim of responsibility for that attack, the group cited events outside of Iraq, saying the siege was meant to force the Coptic Christian Church in Egypt to release Muslim women that the militant group claims are being held captive.
The group also demanded the release of al-Qaida-linked prisoners held in Iraq.
End item/ 129
