Casualties as trapped car explodes east of Baghdad
Explosion in Baghdad (Representational photo)ز
The Interior Ministry’s Baghdad Operations said in a statement that the car exploded in Jamila district at the eastern city of al-Sadr.
Nobody claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but Islamic State militants have claimed several bombings over the past weeks that left dozens dead.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said recently that violence in Iraq had left 19000 casualties in 2016, but said the count excludes deaths in Anbar during three months of that year.
Observers believe Islamic State have begun to escalate attacks outside the city of Mosul, where the group has been losing ground and personnel since October, so as to relieve pressure on that front by government forces and to divert attention from losses.