1st LD: Up to 16 killed in car bomb attack in Iraq's Baghdad

Up to 16 people were killed and some 25 others wounded on Thursday in a car bomb explosion in southwestern Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, a police source told Xinhua.

The blast occurred in the afternoon when a booby-trapped car detonated near a crowded commercial area for selling cars in Baiyaa neighborhood, the source said on condition of anonymity.

The massive explosion destroyed many civilian cars and caused damages to many shops and buildings, the source said.

The attack came a day after another deadly attack by a suicide minibus bomb at Habibiyah commercial area for selling cars in the heavily populated neighborhood of Sadr City, that left nine people killed and more than 30 wounded.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for deadly 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 United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq said.

The attack also 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. Endit