A roadside bomb in the Iraqi capital Baghdad has killed at least seven civilians and wounded 18 others.

The attack occurred under a highway flyover and near a hospital in the east of the capital on Wednesday morning, a police source said.

The dead were reportedly day laborers looking for casual work.

Iraqi and US troops are currently struggling to assert government control over the capital and stifle surging sectarian violence.

To bolster security the US reinforced the capital with more troops last week.

There are now about 50,000 US and Iraqi forces conducting raids and searches throughout the city in an effort to kill or capture members of armed groups opposed to the Iraqi government.

Photo Caption

A victim of a previous blast is carried for burial