BAGHDAD — Iraqi officials say two bomb blasts just minutes apart in a popular commercial area killed 17 people in Baghdad.
Police say the two bombs, one a suicide car bomb and the other a car bomb, went off just 10 minutes apart in the busy commercial area of Karrada in the heart of Baghdad. Police say the blast struck near restaurants and coffee shops filled with customers on Saturday night.
Police say the first blast killed seven people, the second killed 10, with dozens wounded.
Medical officials confirmed the toll and all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists.
The past week has seen a spike in bombings in Baghdad as government forces fight to dislodge Islamic State militants from the north and west of the country.