Baghdad (AFP) - A car bomb ripped through a crowded Baghdad intersection during morning rush hour on Tuesday, killing 15 people and wounding at least 37, security and medical officials said.

The blast in Baghdad Jadida left a shallow crater at the intersection and lines of burned and twisted cars still sitting where they were waiting when the explosion struck.

Blood stained a nearby sidewalk, and people worked to clear away the debris from shopfronts smashed by the explosion.

Militants in Iraq frequently target crowded areas, including cafes, markets and mosques, in an effort to cause maximum casualties.

On Monday, a suicide bomber detonated explosives at a Shiite place of worship, or husseiniyah, in Baghdad Jadida, killing 11 people.

Iraq is struggling to retake large areas overrun by a major jihadist-led militant offensive launched in June, which seized second city Mosul and swept through the country's Sunni heartland.



