A car bomb went off in a southern Baghdad district on Monday, killing two people and wounding nine others, an Interior Ministry source said.

"A car bomb parking near a court in Baiyaa district detonated at around 10:00 a.m. (0600 GMT), killing two people and wounding nine others," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The attack damaged several nearby civilian cars and buildings, the source added.

Violence continues in Baghdad despite the presence of tens of thousands of U.S. and Iraqi soldiers across the capital in a major security crackdown aimed at curbing insurgency and sectarian violence in the war-torn country.

Source: Xinhua