Baghdad, Sep 19 (IANS): A total of 17 people were killed and 55 others wounded in bomb attacks in Iraq Friday, police sources said.

Seven people were killed and 28 others were wounded when a parked car bomb exploded in the Karada district of central Baghdad just before noon. Several nearby shops and civilian cars were destroyed by the huge blast, a police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The source added that a parked car exploded near a popular market in downtown Kirkuk, some 250 km north of Baghdad, leaving eight people dead, 16 others injured and several nearby shops destroyed.

In another incident, a parked car bomb which targeted a popular market detonated in Mahmoudiyah, 30 km south of Baghdad, killing two people and wounding 11 others, a source told Xinhua.

Iraq is witnessing some of its worst violence in recent years. According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, terrorism and violence have killed 5,576 civilians in Iraq in the first half of this year, while 11,666 more have been wounded.