Three civilians injured in western Baghdad bomb blast

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Three civilians were wounded due to an IED blast that took place in western Baghdad, a police source said on Monday.

“A bomb placed near a market in al-Nasr wal Salam region in Abu Ghraib district, western Baghdad, exploded on Monday leaving three civilians injured,” the source told AlSumaria News.

“Security troops headed to the accident spot and transferred the injured to hospital for treatment,” the source, who preferred anonymity, added.

Violence in the country has surged further with the emergence of Islamic State Sunni extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.

Violence and armed conflicts claimed the lives of 317 Iraqis, and caused injuries to 403 others during the month of April, according to a monthly count by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI).

The total figure of victims signalled a drop from 1115 victims in March.

Nineveh, where U.S.-backed Iraqi government troops are caught up in battles against Islamic State militants in Mosul since October, came on top of the most affected governorate, with 276 casualties (153 killed, 123 injured). Baghdad Governorate came next with 55 killed and 179 injured. Salahuddin came third, with 15 killed and 43 injured.