The Islamic State, a Sunni terrorist group occupying portions of western and northern Iraq, said it was responsible for the attack in Basra, but the other bombings have gone unclaimed.
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The extremist group says a suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden vehicle among Shiite militia members in a Shiite-majority town in the country’s eastern Diyala province.
The explosion, which occurred around 5:30 pm (1430 GMT), rocked a market area known as Souk al-Halaqin in Zubayr, just 10 kilometres (six miles) southwest of the oil hub of Basra, he said.
“The warriors of a given caliphate has been able to discharge a sitting 4wd bomb amidst a meeting of polytheist Rafidha in Basra”,…
At least 25 others were wounded in the blast in the capital’s north-eastern neighbourhood of Husseiniya, according to Associated Press.
Hospital officials corroborated the death tolls.
The province, parts of which were previously under the Islamic State group’s rule, has been the scene of multiple attacks in recent months – prompting anti-government protests, with citizens demanding tougher security measures.
The militants see Shias as heretics.
According to figures released by the UN Mission in Iraq on Thursday, 717 Iraqis were killed and 1,216 wounded in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in September.
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Meanwhile, in Iraq’s southern Basra province, a senior security official said a auto bomb exploded in the busy commercial district of a suburb near the city killing 10 people.
