At least 20 killed in suicide bombing at market in south of Baghdad

At least 20 people were killed and some 21 others wounded on Friday in a suicide bomb attack at a popular market in south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua.

The attack occurred at noon when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive belt at a crowded market at the entrance of the town of Musaiyab, some 50 km south of Baghdad, the source said on condition of anonymity.

The blast destroyed several shops and many stalls and caused damages to several nearby civilian cars, the source said.

The toll could rise as ambulances, police and civilian vehicles evacuated the victims to the town's main hospital and medical centers, the source added.

Musaiyab is part of the once restive area, dubbed Triangle of Death, which is a cluster of towns scattered north of Babil's provincial capital city of Hilla, some 100 km south of Baghdad.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for such suicide attacks targeting crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across Iraq.

Terrorist acts, violence and armed conflicts killed 345 Iraqis and wounded 446 others in May across Iraq, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq said.

The attack came as Iraqi security forces, backed by the anti-IS international coalition, were simultaneously conducting a major offensive to dislodge IS militants from their remaining redoubt in the western side of Mosul.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)