Car bomb explodes outside Baghdad mosque

At least six people have been killed in a car bomb outside a Shiite mosque in Baghdad today, an Iraq Interior Ministry official has said.

The car exploded in the capital’s south western Um al-Maalif neighbourhood.

It was the second attack on a Shiite mosque in Baghdad this week. One of a series of car bombs to hit the capital on Wednesday exploded near a Shiite mosque just before noon prayers. No worshippers were hurt in that blast.

Attacks on Shiites have increased in the run up to the January 30 national elections.

Shiites strongly support the vote, while some members of the Sunni minority have called for a boycott of the balloting because of worsening security.