A suicide car bomb killed at least 21 people and wounded more than 32 at the entrance of a town northeast of Baghdad on Monday morning, security sources told Al Jazeera. There was no immediate claim for the blast outside Khalis, about 80 km from the capital, but the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group regularly attacks security forces and civilian areas, Al Jazeera reported.
A police officer at the scene told Reuters that most of the victims died inside their vehicles while waiting to enter the town. “We still have charred bodies inside many vehicles, including a minibus packed with women and children,” the police captain said, requesting anonymity. Hospital sources told Reuters the death toll was expected to rise, given the extent of critical injuries. The blast came a day after a suicide bombing claimed by IS killed at least 15 people in Baghdad’s Kadhimiyah.
