Iraqi officials say a car bomb has exploded at a crowded popular market in southwestern Baghdad, killing at least 18 people and wounding 36.
A police official says the explosion took place Wednesday night in the predominantly Shia neighborhood of al-Bayaa.
A hospital official corroborated the casualty figure. Both spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to brief journalists.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. The Islamic State militant group frequently targets Shia areas across the country. The radical Sunni group seeks to destabilize the Shia-led government in Baghdad and target those they view as apostates. They hold roughly a third of Iraq and neighboring Syria in their self-declared "caliphate."
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