"Before, the concrete barriers didn't allow the cars to enter this market . . . but these T-Walls were removed recently by the security forces," said Mohammed abu Mariam, 45, who was shopping at the time of the blast.

He described seeing dead women and children and dismembered bodies on the street. The explosion set cars on fire and shattered car windows, and the air smelled of burned flesh. Others described women wandering the street shouting for loved ones.

The blast was the third major attack in the capital this month. Although the overall number of civilian deaths is far lower than during the country's civil war several years ago, hopes that Iraq could completely end the bombings and killings that have defined it since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 have proved illusory.

With the relatively improved security, the Iraqi government has been eager to remove the cement barriers that wall off districts, major intersections, markets and other gathering spots, where militants once set off car bombs sometimes two or three times daily.

Many of the blast walls were put in place by the U.S. military during its troop buildup in 2007 and proved effective in stemming the bloodshed. The barriers not only proved to be a real obstacle to car bombs but also helped slow the movement of Sunni Arab and Shiite armed groups around Baghdad.

As effective as the blast walls were, for the government they became a symbol of Baghdad's collapse into sectarian war and its lack of normalcy. As life gradually improved last year, the Iraqi government started talking about its wish to remove them. On Wednesday, an Iraqi military spokesman announced plans to remove more barriers, though many streets remain blocked.

After the blast walls were removed recently near the Jamia market, more shops opened and the area became even busier.

"The bad people, those who don't want any good thing for Iraq . . . left a car bomb near the market. It became easier for them to leave a car bomb or a smaller bomb," said Mohammed Hatim, a 25-year-old university student.