A car bomb exploded in a busy commercial district of central Baghdad on September 29, killing at least two people, police and medical sources said.

The blast, which wounded at least eight people, went off shortly after midnight in the Battaween area, on a street known for its shops and restaurants selling alcohol, a police colonel said.

It is home to both Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims and close to the Ishtar Sheraton hotel, a Baghdad landmark on the eastern side of the Tigris River.

The Islamic State (IS) extremist group claimed responsibility for the bomb attack.

IS fighters have controlled swaths of Iraq since last year and the group frequently claims responsibility for car bombs in Baghdad.

ased on reporting by Reuters and AFP