15 civilians injured in Baghdad bomb blast

Baghdad, July 1 (IANS) Fifteen civilians were injured in a bomb explosion at a crowded area in Baghdad, a source from Iraq's Interior Ministry said.The explosion occurred on Wednesday evening when a bomb detonated in a popular marketplace in Sadr City district, the source told Xinhua news agency.The blast left 15 civilians wounded and caused damages to the nearby shops and stalls, the source said.Bomb attacks have been rare in Baghdad, as the security situation has improved in Iraq since the security forces fully defeated militants of the extremist Islamic State (IS) group across the country late in 2017.However, sporadic incidents still occur in the war-ravaged country as IS remnants have since retreated into the deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.
--IANS ksk/