Iraqi officials say a suicide bomber has rammed his explosives-laden auto into a checkpoint north of Baghdad, killing at least 11 people.
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The blast also wounded 37 people, according to Colonel Ghalib Al Attiyah, the Diyala province police spokesman, and health department spokesman Faris Al Azzawi.
“The latest report said 12 people, including three women and two children, were killed and 25 others wounded by the suicide vehicle bomb attack in Diyala”, the official said.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group turned out to be behind most of similar suicide attacks in the past, targeting areas where crowds of people gather, including markets, cafes and mosques across Iraq.
A police officer at the scene said most of the victims died inside their vehicles while waiting at a checkpoint to enter Khalis, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad.
In recent months, IS has lost control of some major towns and cities it seized in Iraq in 2014 and has stepped up suicide attacks in apparent response.
Destroyed vehicles are seen at the site of a suicide auto bomber in Khalis, north of Baghdad, Iraq, July 25, 2016.
“We still have charred bodies inside many vehicles including a minibus packed with women and children”, the captain, requesting anonymity, told Reuters. But the extremists have continued to carry out near-daily bombings in and around Baghdad, as well as complex attacks in other countries.
Associated Press reports that eight policemen and six civilians were killed in the blast earlier today.
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The explosions took place at three commercial areas across the city.
