Car bomb blast leaves 12 dead and 25 wounded in Baghdad

The attack was claimed by the Islamic State terrorist group

At least 12 people were killed and 25 wounded in a car bomb blast on Sunday in a mostly Shiite neighborhood in eastern Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, an attack claimed by the Islamic state terrorist group.

The blast occurred on 83rd street in Sadr City, a district on the outskirts of Baghdad that has been the scene of several attacks since last week, a security source said.

The death toll could rise because several injured people are in serious condition, the source added, adding that the blast caused extensive damage to the buildings in the area.

The terrorist group Islamic State (EI) claimed responsibility for the attack, said it was committed by a suicide bomber and detailed that it targeted "a gathering of Shiites," according to a statement published by the "Amaq" agency, which is linked to Jihadists.

Last Monday, two car bombs exploded in Sadr City, actions claimed by the EI.

One of these car bombs left 37 dead and about 60 injured in front of a market, and the explosion of the other resulted in several injured near a hospital.

In Sadr City, a large group of followers of Shiite cleric Moqtada al Sadr, a well-known leader opposed to the Iraqi government, live.

At the turn of the New Year, another double suicide bombing left 28 dead in the Iraqi capital, and other similar attacks have been reported in other parts of the country in recent days.

The intensification of the attacks in Iraq coincided with the start of a new offensive by the Iraqi army to expel the EI from the northern city of Mosul.