Iraq car bomb kills 20 in south-west Baghdad

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The blast went off in a market in the mainly Shia Amil district in the south-west of Baghdad

A car bomb has exploded in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, killing more than 20 people and wounding many others, police and medical sources say.

The blast went off in a market in the mainly Shia Amil district in the south-west of the city.

No group has said it carried out the attack but so-called Islamic State (IS) has in recent months carried out many similar bombings.

The attack comes as government forces try to recapture Mosul from IS.

More than 180,000 civilians have fled the west of the city over the past month. Reports on Monday said IS had captured an Iraqi police colonel and eight other officers in Mosul after they ran out of ammunition.

Police say the bomb on Monday went off at a busy time in Amil, a business district of Baghdad.

Ambulances ferried the injured to nearby hospitals as the bodies of those killed were removed.

The attack comes as US President Donald Trump is due to hold his first meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Mr Abadi said in a video statement as he left Baghdad that his country was in "the final stages to eliminate IS militarily in Iraq".

Other recent Baghdad bombings