Baghdad market blast leaves 2 dead, 4 injured

By Amir al-Hassani

BAGHDAD

At least two people were killed when a bomb went off near a public market in southern Baghdad, according to an Iraqi police official.

“Two civilians were killed and four others injured by an explosive device planted by unknown assailants near a market in Baghdad’s southern Al-Maalef district,” police Capt. Nazhan al-Khader told Anadolu Agency.

"The explosion also destroyed the facades of several shops in the area and damaged two vehicles that were parked near the blast site," al-Khader said.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing, but such attacks have become commonplace in Iraq’s violence-prone capital over the last two years.

The Iraqi authorities typically blame such attacks, which frequently target civilian areas, on the Daesh terrorist group, which overran much of northern and western Iraq in mid-2014.