STORY: Chaos on the streets of Iraq as emergency officials respond to multiple bombings across the country.<br /> <br />As workers battle the flames and smoke, residents watch as scorching vehicles turn to charred wreckage.<br /> <br />The bombings, which killed at least 21 people, hit five cities: Nasiriyah (nah-sih-REE-ah), Basra (BAHS-rah), Karbala (KAR-bah-lah), Hilla and Baghdad.<br /> <br />In Hilla, police say two parked car bombs exploded simultaneously near a busy market and a third blew up near a vehicle repair workshop, killing nine people in all.<br /> <br />One man at the scene is blaming the police for failing to protect the public.<br /> <br />SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS, SAYING:<br /> <br />"What did these people do to be killed? The policemen are doing nothing. They were sitting in the cafe, smoking shisha or drinking tea."<br /> <br />In Baghdad, a roadside bomb exploded near the convoy of the deputy head of the city's provincial council.<br /> <br />Officials say the blast damaged one of his vehicles