12 civilians killed in Baghdad suicide bombing

A suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden car Monday in a commercial area in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, killing at least 12 civilians, officials say.

The attack in the capital’s eastern Shiite-dominated New Baghdad neighborhood also wounds at least 38 other people, a police officer says. Police earlier said it was a parked car bomb.

A medical official confirms the causality figure. All officials speak on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it bears the hallmarks of the Islamic State group, which controls key areas in the country’s west and north. Commercials and public places in Shiite-dominated areas are among the most frequent targets for the militants seeking to undermine government efforts to maintain security inside the capital.

— AP