Two people were killed and 12 others injured when a parked car bomb struck a outdoor market in Baghdad on Wednesday.

According to the police, the explosion took place at a popular market in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Shula in northwestern Iraq.

On April 13, a car bomb also struck the same neighborhood, killing 15 people.

Earlier on Wednesday, a car bomb also went off near shops selling alcohol in central Baghdad, killing an Iraqi civilian and wounding four others, an Interior Ministry source said.

"An explosive-laden car parking by side of a road in Elwiya district went off at about 1:55 p.m. (0955 GMT) near shops selling alcohol," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The attack also set several shops on fire and caused serious damage to nearby buildings, he added.

Violence have persisted in Iraq despite the formation of a new unity government on May 20.

Three key security ministerial posts have remained vacant more than two weeks after the new Iraqi government was sworn in.

Source: Xinhua