Fresh bombing in Baghdad kills 3, wounds 10

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least three civilians were killed and 10 others wounded on Thursday in a bomb blast in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, according to a source from the Iraqi Interior Ministry.

"Today, a bomb blast went off in the industrial alley in Taci district, northern Baghdad, killing three persons and wounding 10 others," a source from the Iraqi Interior Ministry told Rudaw.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Suicide attacks and car bombings have increased in Baghdad since the recent political tumult in the capital, which saw angry protesters storm the parliament building late last month, demanding substantial political reforms to uproot corruption.

On Tuesday a wave of bombs rocked Baghdad. At least 44 people died and 90 others were wounded in five car bombings carried out across the city.

The dramatic rise in terrorist attacks on Baghdad may indicate that the Islamic State (ISIS) is trying to force the Iraqi government to divert its forces and lose focus of goals, such as liberating Mosul, the top US commander in the Middle East said on Wednesday.

Army Gen. Joseph Votel, head of US Central Command, said ISIS could be “reverting to their roots” after losing some 40 percent of the territory it controlled in Iraq, following battlefield losses.

“Some of the attacks we're seeing in Baghdad — I think we are seeing a manifestation of that. We are seeing them see opportunities and take advantage of those opportunities," the Associated Press quoted Votel as saying.

More than 200 people have been killed in bombings and attacks in Baghdad over the past week.