A car bomb exploded in central Baghdad early Monday, killing at least four civilians and wounding 12, Associated Press reports. A police officer says the bombing took place in Baghdad’s Allawi neighborhood.
Baghdad has suffered small bombings since The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant began seizing large swathes of territory in northwestern Iraq, according to AP. Security forces recently joined with Shiite militias to improve security around Baghdad, fearing a major assault by ISIL.
The Iraqi government is debating how to best defend the country from the recent Sunni insurgency, and is attempting to establish a new government, but parliamentary meetings have yet to be fruitful. Current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been heavily criticized for mishandling the recent violence.
