Officials: Baghdad car bombs kill at least 17

Car bomb blasts in two northern Baghdad neighborhoods killed at least 17 people and wounded at least 57 on Friday, medical and security sources said.

One explosion went off near the Tigris River in the Graiat area, killing at least seven people. The other struck near a restaurant in the Adhamiyah district, killing 10, they said.

There was no immediate claim for the attacks but the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group has claimed much of the recent violence to hit the Iraqi capital and elsewhere in the country.

Baghdad is hit by near-daily bombings and shootings that kill hundreds of people each month.

And security forces, despite being deployed at checkpoints and other positions across the city, are consistently unable to prevent the attacks.

The violence comes as Iraqi security forces and pro-government fighters battle to push back ISIS, which has seized significant territory since June.

They are now backed by U.S.-led air strikes targeting ISIS in both Iraq and neighboring Syria, while Washington and other governments have also pledged training personnel to aid Iraqi forces.