BAGHDAD: At least 58 people were killed and more than 100 wounded yesterday in two blasts in eastern Iraq claimed by Islamic State in a province once considered mostly free of them.
An explosion at a market in Huwaidar, about 4km north of the provincial capital of Baquba, killed 51 people and wounded at least 80, police said.
“The attacker managed to pass a checkpoint by lining up with a wedding motorcade and then split off with his explosives-packed vehicle to blow it up in a crowded marketplace,” said Diyala police captain Mohammed Al Tamimi.
Islamic State, which controls large parts of northern and western Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attack and said the target was “rejectionists”, as the group refers to Shias.
A separate blast to the east of Baquba killed a further seven people and wounded 25. Islamic State said it had targeted a checkpoint manned by the army and volunteers from the Hashid Shaabi — an umbrella group for mainly Shia militias fighting the radical jihadist group. The attacks took place less than a month after a bombing claimed by Islamic State in the nearby town of Khan Bani Saad, which killed more than 100 people and prompted riots by distraught mourners.
Security forces and militia groups are currently focused on routing Islamic State from the western province of Anbar, where they have been gearing up for an offensive to retake the sprawling Sunni heartland.
Reuter
