Iraq

Baghdad Bombing Kills at Least 23: Iraqi Officials

A car bomb in Baghdad has killed at least 23 people and wounded 45 others Monday, Iraqi officials said.

The police and hospital officials said the attack-- which comes on the 14th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq-- targeted a commercial area in Baghdad's southwestern Amil neighborhood. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release information.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State group has been behind previous Baghdad bombings. Iraqi forces have been battling the extremists in Mosul, the country's second largest city, since October. Iraq declared eastern Mosul "fully liberated" in January and is now fighting for the more densely populated western half.

Iraqi troops are closing in on Mosul's old city, where some of the fiercest fighting is expected to unfold. The militarized Federal Police say they are some 500 yards from al-Nuri mosque, where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made a rare public appearance in July 2014, announcing a self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria.

The militants have suffered a string of defeats over the past two years, but have continued to regularly launch attacks in and around Baghdad. A series of large-scale bombings claimed by IS have struck Baghdad since the operation to retake Mosul began.

Iraqi and coalition officials have repeatedly warned that IS will return to its insurgent roots as it loses territory.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us