Security officers in Baghdad recounted the deadliest bomb blast which rocked the Iraqi capital Monday, killing 28 people, including women and schoolgirls, and leaving dozens wounded.

According to witnesses, Monday’s attack took place on Kassra Street, a road lined with restaurants and tea shops popular for breakfast with Iraqi security forces, as a bus carrying young school girls drove past.  

With the latest string of attacks, an Associated Press tally showed at least 19 bombings in the city this month as of Sunday, compared with 28 for all of October and 22 in September. The increase in the number of attacks, despite the dramatic improvement in security in large swathes of Iraq, raises doubts about Iraqi security forces as the U.S. prepares to reduce troops.

Moreover, in an attempt to undermine public confidence, most of the bombings, which occurred during the morning rush hours, targeted Iraqi police and army patrols, government officials heading for work or commuters.

Though no group has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks, suspicion fell on al-Qaida in Iraq, which has made suicide bombings against Shiite civilians its signature attack.

The United Nations envoy to Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, condemned the attacks that “aimed at re-instilling fear, distrust and division among the public just as Iraq prepares itself to assume political normalcy with the upcoming provincial elections.”