Two killed, 4 wounded in southern Baghdad blast
Photos shared across social networks show pillows of smoke following a bomb blast in central Baghdad
Alsumaria News quoted the source saying that a bomb placed beneath a car belonging to a Justice Ministry employee went off in Zawba region, west of the capital, killing the man immiediately.
Another bomb planted near a fish market in Youssefiya killed one person and wounded four.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) has said that violence in the country lef 1115 casualties, excluding security members, during March. Baghdad was the second most affected province with 84 deaths and 246 injuries, according to the organization’s monthly casualty count.
While several blasts are not followed by a claim of responsibility, Islamic State militants said they had been behind some bloody explosions and attacks that hit the capital in the past months, leaving casualties among civilians and security troops.
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 by government forces on that front and to divert attention from group losses.
While losing Mosul could be the severest blow to the group’s existence in Iraq, some observers argue that attacks outside the province prove that the extremist group can still pose a security threat for all cities.