A car bomb went off near a main courthouse in western Baghdad today, killing at least five people and wounding 10, an Interior Ministry source said.
The courthouse targeted today is responsible for most cases in the capital's Karkh sector, where there are many insurgent strongholds. Last month, gunmen killed a senior judge who was the head of the Karkh courthouse.
Iraqi courts have passed a string of sentences, including death penalties and life in prison, in recent months against insurgents fighting the US-backed government.
Sunni Arab insurgents are waging a violent campaign of suicide bombings, shootings and assassinations in a bid to topple Iraq's Shia-led government and drive out US troops.
The bombing comes as Iraqi political leaders are seeking a deal to form a national unity government.