Iraq-Police-AP-670
The image shows an Iraqi policeman holding a gun. — File Photo by AP

BAGHDAD: Three blasts hit markets in Shia districts in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 14 people, police and medical officials said.

Two car bombs exploded in busy markets in Sadr City, north-eastern Baghdad and killed at least 11 people and wounded another 18. The third explosion targeted a small market in Kamaliya district, killing three more, police said.

Tensions between minority Sunni Muslims and the Shias who now lead Iraq are at their highest since US troops pulled out in 2011, and Sunni insurgents often hit Shia targets to stir sectarian frictions. 

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