5 killed and 12 injured in Baghdad bombing

17 people, including women and children, were killed and injured after three houses exploded in western Baghdad. The attack took place early on Friday morning in the Al Ghazaleya neighbourhood, killing five and injuring 12 others. The group behind the attack has not been identified. Meanwhile, 200 people took the streets in peaceful protests in Tahrir Square in central Baghdad to demand the departure of US troops and the improvement of services in Iraq. The protesters also accused Iraq’s neighbours of being behind the recent Al Nakhib incident, which saw 22 male passengers killed. The attack has been widely viewed as an attempt to stoke sectarian tensions in the fragile state.