Two killed in Iraq bomb attacks

At least two people were killed and 17 wounded in three bomb attacks in Iraq's capital Baghdad Wednesday morning, a police source said.

In one attack, a booby-trapped car exploded at a park near the Iraqi foreign ministry building in the city centre, wounding eight people and destroying several cars, the source told Xinhua.

In the same area, another huge blast occurred when a suicide bomber blew up his explosive vest at a restaurant killing a civilian and wounding five others, the source said.

Iraqi security forces blocked the area around the ministry building, which is adjacent to the heavily fortified Green Zone that houses some government offices and the US embassy.

Meanwhile, a civilian was killed and four others were wounded in a second car bomb explosion on the eastern bank of the Tigris river that bisects the capital, the source added.

Iraq is witnessing its worst violence in recent years. According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, a total of 8,868 Iraqis, including 7,818 civilians and civilian police personnel, were killed in 2013, the highest annual death toll in years.