Over 20 killed, 70 injured as car bomb blasts rock Baghdad

BAGHDAD-Two separate blasts have ripped through Iraq’s capital, killing at least 22 and injuring over 70 people, according to local police. The latest attacks come as Iraqi forces struggle to force out “Islamic State” terrorists from Falluja, west of Baghdad, RT reported.

The first blast was reported in Al-Jidida, an eastern district of Baghdad, on Wednesday morning. A commercial street was targeted by a car bomb, Reuters reports.

 Police said at least eight people were killed and more than 30 injured there.

The second blast hit near a military checkpoint in the capital’s north, RIA Novosti said citing local media.

Pictures and footage posted online reveal a huge column of black smoke billowing over the area.

On May 17, a string of bombings inside and outside the Iraqi capital as well as in Sadr City took the lives of over 70 people. Responsibility for the attacks was claimed by terrorists of the“Islamic State” (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).

ISIS has been using Iraqi city residents as human shields to stall the Iraqi Army, which has almost surrounded Fallujah. The city is strategically important due to its proximity to the capital, Baghdad.

RT

H.M