Iraqi officials say multiple bomb and mortar attacks kill 12 people in Baghdad area

BAGHDAD – Iraqi authorities say attacks have killed 12 people in and around the capital, Baghdad.

Police officials say the deadliest attack happened when a bomb exploded Thursday in a commercial street in the northwestern district of Toubachi, killing four people and wounding 10. They reported a separate bomb blast near a car repair shop in downtown Baghdad that killed three people and wounding eight, and a roadside bomb that struck an army patrol, killing two soldiers and wounding four.

In the city's southern suburbs, police said mortar shells landed on houses, killing three.

Medical officials confirmed the causalities. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

The attacks come as Islamic States militants seek to expand territory they hold in Iraq and Syria.