Iraqi hospital officials say gunmen have killed at least 50 people and wounded scores of others at an open air market south of Baghdad.
Authorities say a large group of attackers first fired mortars and then stormed the market in Mahmoudiya, firing automatic weapons and throwing grenades. Police said at least two suspected attackers were arrested.
In Baghdad, Shi'ite lawmakers close to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr quit today's parliamentary session to protest the attack.
Meanwhile, U.S. military officials say one American soldier was killed by small arms fire in the Iraqi capital.
On Sunday, a suicide bomber killed at least 26 people in a crowded cafe in the town of Tuz Khurmatu north of Baghdad.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.