18 killed in series of car bomb attacks in Iraqi capital

• 18 were killed and 59 others wounded in four car bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad Saturday.

• Earlier, the source put the toll at six killed and 30 wounded by the blast of another three car bombs.

• Terrorism and violence have killed 5,576 civilians in Iraq in the first half of this year.

BAGHDAD, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Up to 18 people were killed and 59 others wounded in four car bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Saturday, a police source said.

A car bomb went off before noon in the Shiite-dominated district of Abu Dsheer, southern Baghdad, leaving up to 11 people dead and 24 others wounded, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Another car bomb struck a Shiite mosque in Baiyaa district in the southern part of the capital, killing at least two people and wounding 13 others, the source said.

In addition, a booby-trapped car exploded in the sectarian mixed district of Jihad in southwestern part of Baghdad, wounding five people, the source added.

In the afternoon, a fourth car bomb was detonated at the busy Adan Square in the holy Shiite district of Kadhmiyah in the northern part of Baghdad, leaving five people killed and 17 others wounded, the source said.

Earlier, the source put the toll at six killed and 30 wounded by the blast of another three car bombs.

Terrorism and violence have killed 5,576 civilians in Iraq in the first half of this year, with 11,666 more wounded, according to a report released on Friday by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

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