Civilian killed, 4 wounded in bomb blast south Baghdad

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) One civilian was killed and four others were wounded on Tuesday when an explosive device exploded in a district in southern Baghdad, security sources said.

The bomb was planted near a commercial area in al-Sehha district, south of the capital, police sources were quoted saying.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the bombing, but Islamic State militants have said
they had been responsible for several bloody explosions and attacks that hit the capital in the past months, leaving casualties among civilians and security troops.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) says violence in the country left nearly 392 dead and 613 injured, excluding security members, during February. Baghdad was the second most affected province with 120 deaths and 300 injuries, according to the organization’s monthly casualty count.

Some 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. There are fears that Islamic State will still pose a security threat by shifting to lone wolf attacks and guerrilla-style war once defeated in Mosul, its biggest bastion in Iraq