Civilian killed in IED attack in central Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Sept. 21 (Iraqi News) – One civilian man was killed when an improvised explosive device stuck to the undercarriage of his vehicle went off at al-Nosour square in western Baghdad on Sunday, an Iraqi police source said. “The IED went off seconds after the victims boarded his vehicle,” the source, who asked that his name not be published, told IraqiNews.com – Voices of Iraq – (Iraqi News). “The blast destroyed the victim’s vehicle and caused severe damage to the property of a number of civilians near the scene,” the source added, not giving more details. A security source had said on Sunday that unidentified gunmen attacked an Iraqi police officer while heading for his work in al-Harithiya area in his vehicle, killing him and his bodyguard. Baghdad is the capital of Iraq and Baghdad province. With a municipal population estimated at 7,000,000, it is the largest city in Iraq. It is the second largest city in the Arab world (after Cairo) and the second largest city in southwest Asia (after Tehran). Located on the Tigris River, the city dates back to at least the 8 th century, and probably to pre-Islamic times. Once the center of Dar al-Islam (the abode of Islam), Baghdad has been a center of violent conflict since 2003 because of the ongoing Iraq war. Baghdad’s population is a mix of Sunnis and Shiites. It is mainly divided into two sides: the west (al-Karkh) and the east (al-Rasafa). AmR (S) 1