Dozens killed in double Baghdad bomb blasts

Bombings targeting security forces in the Baghdad area killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 30 on Saturday.

1 min read

23 April, 2016

Suicide bombings are a hallmark of the Islamic State [IS] group [Getty]

A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at a checkpoint on the northeastern edge of Iraq's capital Baghdad, killing at least nine people and wounding at least 24.

Another car bomb exploded near an army patrol in the Dura area of southern Baghdad, killing at least three and wounding at least eight.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but suicide bombings are a hallmark of the Islamic State [IS] group, which also employs car and roadside bombs.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led airstrikes have since regained significant ground.

The extremists still control a large part of western Iraq, and are able to carry out frequent bombings in government-held areas.