Sameer N. Yacoub
Gunmen inspect a damaged ammunition truck belonging to the Iraqi army after clashes with Iraqi security forces outside Fallujah, 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014. Violence across Iraq, including a series of car bombings and fighting between militants and government troops over control of the country's contested Anbar province, killed dozens Saturday, officials said. (AP Photo)
January 20, 2014 - 5:07 AM
BAGHDAD - Iraqi authorities say a series of bombings across Baghdad, targeting marketplaces and two court buildings, has killed 21 people.
The explosions came as Iraqi forces are pushing an offensive against al-Qaida and allied militants west of the capital.
Police say the deadliest of Monday's blasts hit an outdoor market in the south of the capital, killing seven people and wounding 13.
A bomb in a nearby commercial street killed two more. Another two people died and seven were wounded in a southeastern district, while a bomb in a northern suburb killed three and wounded six.
Two separate car bombs near court buildings killed seven people and wounded 22, said police.
Hospital officials confirmed the death toll. All officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to talk to media.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014