Iraqi officials say bombings in Baghdad kill 1, wound 8 people

Iraqi officials say bombs kill 1, wound 8 people

BAGHDAD — Two separate blasts in eastern Baghdad Wednesday killed one person and wounded eight people, Iraqi police and hospital officials said.

The officials said one of the bombs was attached to a civilian car driven by a police officer and it detonated, killing a beggar on the street and wounding four people, including the driver.

Iraq’s security forces and police have been a top target for insurgents, especially since U.S. troops pulled out of Iraqi cities a year ago.

Elsewhere in eastern Baghdad, a bomb hidden under a pile of trash exploded Wednesday, wounding two young girls and two street sweepers standing nearby, officials said.

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

Though violence has declined dramatically from just a few years ago, when Iraq teetered on the brink of civil war, attacks around the capital continue. The violence is a serious challenge for Iraq’s police and military as U.S. troops prepare to withdraw.

Adding to the sense of instability, Iraq’s political leaders are still wrangling over who will control the next government, three months after parliamentary elections.