At least 12 people were killed and 41 others wounded on Monday in a car bomb explosion at a market place in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, a police source said.

The attack occurred before the sunset when a booby-trapped car ripped through a crowded popular market in Baghdad's southeastern Shiite district of al-Ameen, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The blast destroyed many stalls and set fire to several nearby shops and civilian cars, the source said.

Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for the car bomb attack, saying in a statement that it had targeted the Shi'ite militiamen in the Ameen district.

Iraq has been witnessing some of the worst violence in years. Terrorism and violence have left at least 12,282 civilians dead and 23,126 others injured in 2014, making it the deadliest year since the flareup of sectarian violence in 2006-2007, according to a recent United Nations report.

Source: XINHUA