There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on Wednesday, but the Islamic State (IS) group frequently carries out suicide bombings targeting civilians.
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People gather at site of a suicide attack at the entrance of the Shi’ite Mausoleum of Sayid Mohammed bin Ali al-Hadi in Balad, north of Baghdad, Iraq, July 8, 2016.
The blast set fire to several nearby vehicles and damaged many others, besides destroying part of the checkpoint’s building, the source added.
The attack came a day after a suicide auto bombing at an outdoor vegetable and fruit market in Rashidiya killed at least 12 people.
Baghdad has seen a dramatic rise in such terror attacks over the past weeks, majority claimed by the Takfiri Daesh terror group. With 292 people killed, it was recorded as one of the deadliest attacks in Iraq since the USA invasion in 2003.
Iraqi government forces deployed in most of Baghdad on Tuesday, closing off main roads and snarling traffic. IS was behind two large-scale attacks last week that killed around 300 people. Gen. Saad Maan, said the troops were “practicing for a planned military parade for a specific occasion”.
The parade is also marking the July 14 anniversary of the 1958 overthrow of the Hashemite monarchy and declaration of the republic of Iraq.
The fresh wave of violence in Baghdad prompted Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to sack a number of high-ranking officials responsible for security in the capital, including the head of the Baghdad Operations Command.
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They will primarily be tasked with transforming an air base retaken this month from IS into a staging hub for the long-awaited battle to recapture Mosul – Iraq’s second-largest city – from Islamic State militants.
