BAGHDAD: A series of car bombs across Baghdad killed at least 14 people on Thursday, Iraqi police sources said, with one attack close to the capital's “Green Zone” diplomatic complex. The explosion close to Baghdad's international zone was one of five that took place early on Thursday. It killed four and wounded 12 people, the sources said without giving details. The zone is a highly-fortified area housing Western embassies including the US mission. Violence in Iraq has increased markedly this year, with analysts saying the upsurge is driven by anger among the Sunni Arab minority that the Shia-led government has failed to address, despite months of protests. Attacks have killed more than 3,450 people in Iraq since the beginning of 2013, according to figures compiled by AFP — an average over 15 per day.