Seven killed in Baghdad car bomb attacks

At least seven people were killed and 21 others wounded Wednesday in two car bomb attacks in Iraq's capital Baghdad, a police source said.

One of the attacks occurred when a suicide bomber drove his explosives-laden car into a police checkpoint at the entrance of the Shia district of New Baghdad in the southeastern part of the capital, the source told Xinhua.

Another explosion took place in the same district when a booby-trapped car was detonated near a restaurant, the source said, adding that most of the casualties were civilians.

The attacks came as US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Baghdad earlier in the day for talks with Iraqi leaders over building up an anti-terrorism campaign.

Iraq is witnessing some of its worst violence in recent years. According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, terrorism and violence have killed 5,576 civilians in Iraq in the first half of this year, with 11,666 more wounded.