Car bombing kills at least 4 in central Bagdad

BAGHDAD (AP) — A car bomb killed at least four people in a commercial area of central Baghdad on Monday, as government forces and allied Sunni tribal fighters tried to dislodge militants from a small town north of the capital, officials said.

The explosion took place in Baghdad's Allawi neighborhood, a predominantly Shiite district near the Green Zone that is home to many government offices and foreign embassies, a police officer said. At least 12 civilians were wounded in the blast.

He said the casualties could have been much worse, but the area was not crowded early Monday because of a state holiday to commemorate the 1958 Revolution that overthrew the monarchy.

Baghdad has seen several small scale bombings, but no major attacks, since Sunni militants launched an offensive last month that has since overrun much of northern and western Iraq. The blitz has caused jitters in Baghdad, where Shiite militias have joined security forces in recent weeks to try to boost security in the capital.

The Sunni militant advances, which are led by the Islamic State extremist group, has slowed since its initial rapid expansion, but on Sunday the insurgents swept into the town of Duluiyah, some 80 kilometers (45 miles) north of Baghdad. They seized the mayor's office, police station, local council and courthouse. They also blew up a bridge that links the town with the predominantly Shiite city of Balad nearby.

The Iraqi military launched a counterattack that drove the militants from part of the town. But on Monday the militants were still inside key government offices and sporadic clashes took place, a police and an army officers said.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.