In a fresh wave of sectarian violence, bomb attacks around several locations in Baghdad killed 17 people Friday, the AP reported.
The deadliest incident was a car bomb that exploded in a Shi'ite-majority neighborhood of Baghdad, killing seven and wounding 15. Officials say the explosion took place on a busy commercial street in the ditrict, damaging several surrounding shops as well.
A second roadside bomb exploded south of Baghdad in an apparent attack on a Shi'ite convoy stationed there. The attack left four militia fighters dead and seven wounded.
In another Shi'ite district in Baghdad called Obeidi, a bomb detonated near an outdoor market, killing another three and injuring 12.
Since June, Sunni militant insurgency in northern Iraq and former Prime Minister Nour al-Maliki's failure to galvanize troops against them has left Iraqis reeling and faced with an uncertain political future.
IS militants claimed large areas in northern Iraq in June, where they continue to terrorize minority groups. The group has indiscriminately targeted Iraq's Christian and Yazidi minorities, as well as Shi'ite and — in many instances — Sunni communities.
In addition to the three bombing incidents Friday, IS fighters in northern Iraq killed Sunni tribal leader Maiser al-Waqaa and two others.
The Islamist extremist group's presence in north along with a tense political atmosphere and a lingering mistrust between Shi'ite and Sunni leadership in Baghdad have all contributed to a months-long wave of sectarian violence considered to be the most severe since 2011.
