Bombings kill at least 24 in Baghdad

A series of bombings, including three over a span of less than 10 minutes, killed at least 24 people across Baghdad today, shaking the fragile sense of security the capital has maintained despite the Sunni militant offensive raging across northern and western Iraq.

The attacks are among the most significant in Baghdad since insurgents led by the Islamic State extremist group captured Iraq's second-largest city Mosul last month at the start of its blitz across Iraq. After Mosul's fall, the government moved aggressively to try to secure Baghdad amid fears it might fall as well, and the city has seen few major attacks in recent weeks.

Today's deadliest bombing took place in the Shiite neighbourhood of Abu Dashir, where a suicide attacker rammed a car packed with explosives into a checkpoint, killing at least nine people and wounding 19, officials said. Four policemen were among the dead, a police officer said.

Later in the day, three car bombs in different neighbourhoods of Baghdad went off in less than 10 minutes, hitting the districts of Bayaa, Jihad and Khazimiyah. The attacks killed at least 15 people and wounded another 42, police officials said.

Hospital officials in Baghdad confirmed the casualty figures in all four attacks.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media.