Baghdad car bomb attacks leave 17 dead

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/02/iraq-car-bomb-attacks-baghdad

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Iraqi officials have said that 17 people have been killed by two bomb blasts, just minutes apart, in a popular commercial district of Baghdad.

Police say the blasts – which were both car bombs, one a suicide attack – went off just 10 minutes apart in the Karrada area, in the centre of Baghdad. The bombs struck on Saturday night, near restaurants and coffee shops filled with customers.

Police say the first explosion killed seven people and the second killed 10, with dozens also left wounded as a result of both attacks.

Medical officials confirmed the toll and all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists.

The past week has seen a spike in bombings in Baghdad as government forces fight to dislodge Islamic State militants from north and west Iraq.