Car bombings in Baghdad kill 14 people

BAGHDAD – A pair of car bombs targeted busy commercial areas in the Iraqi capital on Monday, killing at least 14 people and wounding 31, officials said.

In the first attack, a car detonated on a commercial street in the Meshtal neighborhood in eastern Baghdad, killing at least eight people and wounding 15, police officials said.

The second car bombing took place in Baghdad's western Amiriya district, also hitting a commercial street and killing at least six people and wounding 16 there.

Hospital officials confirmed the casualties. All spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to media.

The Iraqi capital is seeing near-daily attacks but nothing compared to the rampage in northern and western Iraq by the Islamic State group. Recent bombings have frequently targeted Shiite-majority areas in Baghdad, but the violence has been considerably subdued from the darkest days of sectarian bloodletting in 2006 and 2007.

The Sunni militant group has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks in the capital, including one on Sunday, when an online statement claimed a bombing at a checkpoint outside the Baghdad International Airport. Five people were wounded in that attack.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for either of Monday's blasts.