19 killed in twin bomb explosions in downtown Baghdad

BAGHDAD - Two roadside bomb explosions struck a marketplace in downtown Baghdad on Saturday, leaving 19 people killed and 45 others wounded, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua.

The attacks took place in the morning when two roadside bombs detonated coordinately in the crowded car spare part market in Sinak area, while another roadside bomb went off near a post office in the same area, the source said.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for targeting Iraqi security forces as well as crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across the country.

Terrorist acts, violence and armed conflicts killed 2,885 Iraqis and wounded 1,380 others in November across Iraq, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq said.

The attacks came as the Iraqi security forces backed by anti-IS international coalition are carrying out a major offensive to drive out the IS militants from its last major stronghold in and around Mosul.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the US, which invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003.