Baghdad has seen a dramatic rise in such terror attacks over the past weeks, majority claimed by the Takfiri Daesh terror group.
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On Monday, visiting US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Washington will send 560 more troops to Iraq to help in the fight against ISIL.
The blast set fire to several nearby civilian vehicles and damaged many others, along with destroying part of the checkpoint’s building, the source said.
Two separate bombings elsewhere in Baghdad killed four civilians and wounded 16, police said.
A medical official confirmed the casualties. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Iraq has been hit by a new wave of violence since the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group took control of parts of Iraq’s northern and western regions in June 2014.
A bomb attack claimed by IS on July 3 killed almost 300 people – one of the worst suicide bombings in Iraq since US forces ousted dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003 – an incident that resulted in a public outcry in Baghdad over the government’s inability to secure Iraq’s capital. And last Thursday, an attack at a Shiite shrine north of Baghdad killed 37 people. The Interior Ministry spokesman, Brig.
With territorial losses in the country’s west and north, the group has increased attacks in past months beyond front lines in an attempt to distract security forces attention.
IS issued a statement saying an Iraqi carried out a suicide bombing targeting a checkpoint, but gave the location of the attack as Shaab, an area adjoining Husseiniyah.
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The celebration came after last month’s recapturing of the city of Fallujah from IS militants.
