7 killed, 15 wounded in car bomb attack in Baghdad

Baghdad, Feb 22: At least seven people were killed and 12 wounded on Tuesday in a car bomb explosion at a crowded street in Iraqi capital Baghdad, a police source said.

The attack occurred in the evening when a booby-trapped car detonated at the Amal-Shaabi thoroughfare in the predominantly Sunni neighbourhood of Ameriyah in western Baghdad, Xinhua news quoted the source as saying on condition of anonymity.

The massive explosion destroyed several nearby shops and many stalls, along with damaging several nearby civilian cars and buildings, the source said.

The toll could rise as ambulances, police and civilian vehicles were evacuating the victims to the city's hospitals and medical centres, the source added.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for such attacks targeting crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across Iraq.

Terrorist acts, violence and armed conflicts killed 382 Iraqis and wounded 908 others in January across Iraq, the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq said.

The attacks came as the Iraqi security forces backed by anti-IS international coalition are carrying out a major offensive to drive out the IS militants from its last major stronghold in Iraq's northern city of Mosul.

IANS