A suicide bomber attacked a security checkpoint in northern of Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, on Sunday, killing at least 14 people, Iraqi officials said.
The bomber, who was on foot, detonated his device at one of the busy entrances of the Shiite district of Kadhimiyah, killing at least 10 civilians and four policemen, a police officer said. At least 31 other people were wounded, he added.
Three more civilians were killed and 11 wounded in a bomb explosion in an outdoor market in Baghdad’s western suburb of Abu Ghraib, another police officer said.
Two medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.
In an online statement, ISIS group claimed responsibility for the Kadhimiyah attack, saying it targeted a gathering of security forces and Shiite militia members. The Associated Press could not verify the authenticity of the statements, but they were posted on a militant website commonly used by the extremists. Security forces and public areas, mainly in Shiite neighborhoods, are one of the most frequent targets for the ISIS group, which controls key areas in mainly northern and western Iraq.
Baghdad is on high alert for attacks after a series of terror attacks rocked the Iraqi capital. In a blast in the central Karada district on July 3, more than 300 people were killed and ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
This was the deadliest bombing in Iraq since US-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein 13 years ago.
Another bombing happened earlier in July by a car bombing that has killed 12 people and wounded dozens more at an outdoor market in Rashidiyah district north of Baghdad
Since late last year, ISIS has suffered a string of territorial losses, most recently last month in Fallujah, where it was driven out by Iraqi forces after occupying the city for more than two years. But the extremists have continued to carry out near-daily bombings in and around Baghdad, as well as complex attacks in other countries.
