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2 killed in car bomb attack in downtown Baghdad

Xinhua, January 24, 2017 Adjust font size:

At least two people were killed and 10 others wounded in a car bomb explosion at a crowded area in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, a police source said.

The attack took place before noon when a booby-trapped car detonated at al-Nahda commercial area on the eastern bank of Tigris River, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The massive blast set fire on several civilian cars and badly damaged many other cars and nearby buildings, the source said.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for deadly bombings targeting Iraqi security forces as well as crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across the country.

The attack 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 and around Mosul.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the U.S., which invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003. Endit