Multiple suicide attacks leave dozens dead in Iraq

By Haydar Hadi

BAGHDAD (AA) - At least 27 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack in the city of Hillah in Iraq’s central Babil province on Friday, according to local security sources.

The attack occurred at a market in Hillah’s Al-Musayyib district, where a bomber blew himself up, killing 27 and injuring 32, a local security source told Anadolu Agency anonymously due to restrictions on speaking to media.

In a separate attack the same day, at least two Iraqi police personnel were killed -- and another three injured -- when another suicide bomber targeted their patrol vehicle in southern Baghdad.

And at least four people were reportedly injured earlier Friday in the southern city of Karbala in a third suicide attack in one of the city’s main public squares.

No group has claimed responsibility for Friday’s spate of bombings, but the Iraqi authorities typically blame such attacks on the Daesh terrorist group, which overran much of the country in mid-2014.