Islamic State truck bomb kills at least 60 people south of Baghdad
Source: Reuters
A truck bomb at an Iraqi checkpoint south of Baghdad killed at least 60 people and wounded more than 70 on Sunday, medical and security officials said, and Islamic State claimed responsibility for the blast.
The suicide attack, involving an explosive-laden fuel tanker, is the second deadliest this year after one on Feb. 28 that killed 78 people in Sadr City, a Shi'ite district of Baghdad. This was also claimed by the ultra-hardline Sunni group that controls vast swathes of territory in Iraq and in Syria.
The escalation in Islamic State bombings suggests that Iraqi government forces are being stretched thin after their recent gains against the group in the western and northern provinces.
Responsibility for the bombing in Hilla, 117 kilometres (73 miles) south of Baghdad, was claimed in a posting on the website of the Amaq news agency, which supports Islamic State.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-blast-idUSKCN0W80G3
Sun Mar 6, 2016 1:12pm EST
HILLA, IRAQ
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