Two car bombs exploded in Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad killing twenty-seven people, Associated Press (AP) reports. The first attack was a double car bombing in a shopping area of Sadr City. The second attack took place in the nearby neighborhood of Ur. Thirty-four people were injured. No one claimed responsibility for the attacks but officials believe it is likely the work of militants from the extremist group Islamic State, reports AP.
These bombings come as fifty people were killed in fighting between Iraqi government forces and Islamic State insurgents in Mosul Wednesday. Mosul has been under insurgent control since June when Islamic State militants took control of large swathes of northern Iraq, according to AP.
The Iraqi government is struggling to combat a strong Sunni insurgency that began in June. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been criticized for failing to defeat militants from the Islamic State who seek to eventually control Baghdad.
