1st LD: 45 killed in car bomb attack in Iraq's Baghdad

The death toll from a car bomb attack Thursday in southwestern Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, rose to 45 and 56 others wounded, a police source told Xinhua.

"Our latest report said that 45 people were killed and some 56 others wounded by the massive car bomb blast in Baiyaa neighborhood," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The blast occurred in the afternoon when a booby-trapped car detonated near a crowded commercial area in Baiyaa neighborhood, it added.

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

Earlier, the source put the toll at 16 killed and 25 wounded by the blast.

The attack came a day after another deadly attack by a suicide minibus bomb 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