Three killed in Baghdad car bombing (Lead)

Baghdad May 30 (IANS) At least three persons were killed and 17 others injured in a car bomb attack in downtown Baghdad on Tuesday morning the Interior Ministry said.

A booby-trapped car exploded at the busy intersection near al-Shuhadaa Bridge across the Tigris River in central Baghdad Xinhua news agency quoted a ministry source as saying.

The blast destroyed several nearby cars and damaged many shops and buildings the source said.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack but the Islamic State (IS) militant group in most cases is responsible for such assaults.

The attack came hours after a suicide car bomb attack by the IS killed 11 persons and injured 75 others near an ice cream parlour in Baghdad.

The two attacks occurred while the Iraqi security forces backed by anti-IS international coalition were carrying out a major offensive to drive out the IS from their major stronghold in the western side of Mosul.

--IANS
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