At least 7 civilians wounded in 2 bombs in Baghdad

At least seven civilians were wounded in two bomb explosions on Saturday evening in eastern and northern Baghdad, an Interior Ministry official said.

One of the blasts took place when a roadside bomb went off near a popular cafe in Baghdad's eastern neighborhood of Baghdad al-Jadida, leaving four civilians wounded and caused damage to nearby buildings and cars, the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Separately, another roadside bomb detonated in al-Hurriyah neighborhood in northern Baghdad, wounding three civilians and damaging nearby shops and buildings, the official said.

Iraqi security forces sealed off the two scenes and launched investigations into the two incidents, the official added.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in many cases, claimed the terror attacks targeting security forces and other areas where crowds of people gather, including markets, cafes and mosques in Iraq.

Though the security situation in Iraq has dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces defeated IS in late 2017, terror attacks have been occurring from time to time in the country, which has been hit recently by widespread protests against the government.