Six people were killed and ten others wounded when a car bomb went off southeastern Baghdad on Thursday, an Interior Ministry source said.

"An explosive-laden car parking near the Israa Wa al-Ma'raj mosque in the al-Amin neighborhood, killing six civilians and wounding ten others," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The police is investigating the target of the incident as there were no U.S. or Iraqi security forces at the scene, he said.

Violence rages in Iraq despite the government's measures to crack down on illegal militia and the U.S. decision to send 21,000 more soldiers to the war-torn country.

Source: Xinhua