Bombs in Baghdad kill nine, wound 26

BAGHDAD, May 2

Three bombs went off in and around Baghdad on Monday, killing nine people and wounding 26 others, police and medics said.

The largest blast, from a parked car bomb in the Saydiya district of southern Baghdad, killed six and wounded 18, the sources said.

Explosives planted on the ground in Tarmiya, 25 km (15 miles) north of Baghdad, killed two and wounded six, while a roadside bomb in Khalisa, a town 30 km (20 miles) south of the city, left one dead and two wounded.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for any of the attacks, but Islamic State militants fighting government forces in the north and west regularly target civilians and security forces in and around the capital.

Security has gradually improved in Baghdad, which was the target of daily bombings a decade ago, but there have been a string of blasts in recent days, including a suicide attack on Saturday that killed at least 19 people.

Police said Monday's attacks had not targeted Shi'ite Muslim pilgrims who are walking across the capital this week to visit the shrine of Imam Kadhim, a revered 8th century religious figure. — Reuters