Bombings in Baghdad kill 24

A member of the Iraqi security forces stands next to followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr attending open-air Friday prayers in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, July 18, 2014. Photo: AP

A series of bombings, including three over a span of less than 10 minutes, killed at least 24 people across Baghdad on Saturday, shaking the fragile sense of security the capital has maintained despite the Sunni militant offensive raging across northern and western Iraq.

The attacks are among the most significant in Baghdad since insurgents led by the Islamic State extremist group captured Iraq's second-largest city Mosul last month at the start of its blitz across Iraq.

After Mosul's fall, the government moved aggressively to try to secure Baghdad amid fears it might fall as well, and the city has seen few major attacks in recent weeks.

Saturday's deadliest bombing took place in the Shiite neighborhood of Abu Dashir, where a suicide attacker rammed a car packed with explosives into a checkpoint, killing at least nine people and wounding 19, officials said.

Four policemen were among the dead, a police officer said.

Later in the day, three car bombs in different neighborhoods of Baghdad went off in less than 10 minutes, hitting the districts of Bayaa, Jihad and Khazimiyah.

The attacks killed at least 15 people and wounded another 42, police officials said.

Hospital officials in Baghdad confirmed the casualty figures in all four attacks.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.