BAGHDAD — A wave of bombings struck outdoor markets and a restaurant in Shiite-dominated neighborhoods of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 69 people, officials said – the latest in a string of attacks in and around the Iraqi capital that have left more than 200 dead in the past week.

The four separate bombings were a further challenge to the beleaguered government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is struggling to prove that his forces can maintain security.

One of the bombings Tuesday struck an outdoor market in the heavily Shiite district of Sadr City,. In the wake of the blast, influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose support runs deep in the district named after his father, issued a statement to his followers, saying the attacks “are the clearest evidence that your government has become unable to protect and provide you with security.”

The Islamic State group later claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted to a militant website.

Fighters with al-Sadr’s militia, Saraya Salam, deployed to the streets of Sadr City following the bombing, another indication of a lack of confidence in Iraq’s official security forces.

The uptick in bombings comes as the group faces the loss of significant chunks of territory to Iraqi ground forces over the past year.