Christians targeted by Baghdad bomb

A car bomb near a church in Baghdad killed at least 15 people as Iraqi Christians celebrated Christmas, officials say.

The device went off in the Dora district of the city as worshippers left a Christmas Day service.

At least 28 people were wounded, reports said. Police said most of the victims were Christians.

Iraq's ancient Christian community has more than halved in recent years, from an estimated population of 900,000.

The bomb exploded in a parked car, Reuters news agency reported.

No-one has yet admitted carrying out the attack, which came as Christmas Day services were held across Iraq.

Churches have been targeted across the country since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

An attack by gunmen in 2010 on the Catholic Cathedral in Baghdad left more than 50 people dead.

A surge in sectarian violence this year has claimed the lives of more than 6,000 civilians in Iraq, the highest annual number of fatalities since 2008.

Most of the attacks have targeted Shia civilians and the smaller Sunni population.

The bloodshed escalated in April, after the army raided a Sunni anti-government protest camp.

But the conflict in Syria has prompted a spike in attacks, many involving al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told the BBC on Sunday that the Syrian crisis was "feeding terrorism in the region".