At least 12 people have been killed in two separate car bomb blasts in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, as the country is grappling with an unprecedented foreign-backed militancy.
The blasts rocked Baghdad’s Shia-dominated neighborhood, known as Sadr City, late on Tuesday.
According to Iraqi officials, the explosions also left more than 20 people wounded.
The crisis in Iraq escalated after ISIL terrorists took control of Mosul on June 10, which was followed by the fall of Tikrit, located 140 kilometers (87 miles) northwest of the capital. The militants have also declared a “caliphate” in the overrun areas.
The ISIL has vowed to continue its raid toward Baghdad. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said that the country’s security forces would confront the terrorists.
Maliki has said Saudi Arabia and Qatar are responsible for the security crisis and growing terrorism in his country, denouncing Riyadh as a major supporter of global terrorism.
