At least 11 people died in twin explosions in the Utaifiya district of Baghdad on Monday night (August 25), while a blast the following morning in the New Baghdad neighbourhood saw some eight casualties.

Car bombs in Utaifiya – a mainly Shi’ite area of the Iraqi capital – and Kadhimiya, wounded 25 people, police and medical sources said.

One explosion ripped through a restaurant, while the other was detonated on a busy street.

Tuesday morning’s car bomb attack took place during rush hour. Police assessing the incident say they expect the death toll to rise. Some 20 people are said to have been wounded in the blast.

It comes after Islamic State (IS) issued a statement claiming responsibility for a suicide attack on a Shi’ite mosque, which is also located in Baghdad.

Nine were killed and 21 wounded in what IS says was revenge for an assault on a Sunni mosque in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, on August 22.

Reports suggest up to 68 people were killed in the attack, while dozens were wounded.