At least 21 killed, 46 injured in twin suicide attacks in Baghdad

At least 21 people were killed and dozens were wounded on Wednesday in double blasts in mostly Shiite Muslim neighbourhoods of the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad, a police colonel said. The attacks were the latest of a number of particularly lethal incidents in Baghdad in less than a week.

In the deadliest incident on Wednesday, a cab bomb killed at least 16 people and wounded 30 on a busy commercial street in the western district of Bayaa. A second attack in the northeastern Al-Shaab district left at least five dead and 16 hurt.

Police and interior ministry sources said it was a double suicide attack by attackers wearing suicide vests, against a joint police-army checkpoint at the entrance to Al-Shaab, with the victims being members of the security forces.

But a medical source said the incident involved a car bomb.

On Tuesday, at least 30 people died in two car bombings and attacks on police. The worst car bombing left 19 dead and 43 wounded in the eastern district of Baghdad al-Jadida, a predominantly Shiite area that has been one of the most targeted by car bombs in recent years.

Another four people were killed and 10 wounded in a similar attack in the southern neighbourhood of Zafaraniya.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for both attacks, saying they had targeted Shiite militiamen, a claim it often makes even when most of the victims are civilians. On Friday, a huge suicide car bomb attack claimed by IS killed dozens of people in Khan Bani Saad, a town just north of Baghdad.