UPDATE - Car bombings kill 18 in Iraqi capital

*UPDATES DEATH TOLL

By Ibrahim Salih and Amer al-Hassani

BAGHDAD (AA) – At least 18 people were killed in two separate car bombings in Iraqi capital Baghdad early Tuesday, according to security officials.

A car bomb exploded in the densely populated Karada district in central Baghdad, killing 11 people and injuring scores, a security official said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

The bombing, which was claimed by Daesh terrorist group, has wreaked havoc in the area, he said.

Meanwhile, seven people were killed in a second car bombing outside a government building in central Baghdad, according to a local medic.

“The attack has injured at least 30 people, including some seriously,” he told Anadolu Agency.

Three policemen were among the victims, according to local police officer Nazhan al-Khedr.

Iraq has been roiled by violence since Daesh seized vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq in 2014.

Iraqi forces, backed by air cover from a U.S.-led coalition, are currently engaged in a widespread offensive to dislodge Daesh from Mosul, the terrorist group’s last stronghold in Iraq.