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Islamic State claims suicide attack that killed over 40 people in Iraqi Diyala

DIYALA – The death toll from Monday’s suicide bombing attack at a funeral in Iraq’s eastern province of Diyala rose to 40, a provincial security source said.

The death toll include seven Shiite militia leaders, Iraqi security department in Diyala said in a statement.

The latest report concerning the casualties from Monday’s suicide bombing attack near Maqdadiyah rose to 40 deaths and more than 50 wounded, the source said.

The suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest detonated himself at a funeral tent in the Shiite village of Brishtah, 100 km northeast of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

Subsequent to the attack, provincial security authorities reportedly imposed a curfew and intensified security measures in numerous villages and towns across Diyala province, including Maqdadiyah, in a bid to prevent potential retaliatory attacks.

The source confirmed the death of seven leading figures from the Shiite militia, including Ali Hamad al-Temimi, Diyala’s provincial leader from the powerful Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq militia (League of the Righteous).

The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement released by the group on Monday evening.

ISIS militants group has frequently targeted crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques throughout Iraq.

The country is currently witnessing a surge of violence since ISIS took over areas of Iraq’s northern and western regions in June 2014.

Monday’s blasts follow the deadliest bombing inside the capital so far in 2016, which killed 78 people in a Shiite district on Sunday.

According to the United Nations, over 22,300 people were either killed or injured across Iraq in 2015.

Agencies

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