A suicide attack in a busy commercial area in Iraqi capital Baghdad has killed at least 14 people, the Associated Press reported.

A police officer said a suicide bomber set off his explosives-laden belt on Tuesday, May 27, outside a Shiite mosque in downtown Baghdad as worshippers headed inside to attend noon prayers. He says the explosion also wounded 26 people.

A medical official confirmed the casualty figures. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to media, according to the AP.

The attack came as Iraq's Shiite-led government is struggling to contain the worst surge in sectarian violence since the country was pushed to the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007.

The UN says violence killed 8,868 people last year.