Nine killed in Baghdad car bomb attack

At least nine people were killed and 17 wounded when a car bomb struck a market district during rush hour in central Baghdad today, Iraqi police said.

The car was parked above a row of shops near the busy Rusafi square when it exploded about 9 am local time, a police officer said.

A huge fire broke out in the seven-storey building and smoke billowed into the air.

Nobody claimed responsibility for the attack, but the US military has warned it expects Sunni insurgents to try to upstage a September progress report due to be delivered by top commander Gen. David Petraeus and US Ambassador Ryan Crocker.