Suicide bomb kills 31 people in Iraq
(VOVworld) - At least 31 people were killed and 57 others were wounded by a suicide bomb at an Iraqi checkpoint in Northern Hilla, 95 kilometers south of Baghdad on Sunday.
 |
|
Besides the dead, scores were wounded in Sunday's bombing near the city of Hilla
(Photo: Reuters)
|
Officials said the attacker rammed his explosives-laden fuel truck into an al-Athar security checkpoint on Sunday afternoon, destroying the security control blocks and damaging more than 20 cars. The casualty count is expected to rise.
The same day, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the blast on the website of the Amaq news agency. Violence has been escalating since June 2014 when IS occupied vast northern and western areas of the country. Attacks have struck security checkpoints, government buildings, markets, coffee shops, and churches across Iraq.