ISIS claims twin suicide attack that killed at least 33 in Iraq

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the deadly twin suicide car bomb attacks, which happened in the southern city of Samawa.

At least thirty-three people have been killed with Police and medical sources saying they expect the figure to rise further.

At least 75 others were wounded in the blasts, which hit a local government building and a nearby bus station.

The twin blasts first targeted Iraqi special forces, then security officers who rushed to the scene.

Dozens killed in ISIL suicide blasts in southern Iraq – euronews https://t.co/saqAc9DMJ5

— ISIS/IL Fight News (@ISISILFightNews) May 1, 2016

The first blast was near a local government building and the second one about 60 metres away at a bus station, police sources said.

IS holds positions mostly in Sunni areas of Iraq’s north and west – far from Samawa, a mainly Shi’ite region.

On Saturday, the group said it blew up a car, targeting Shi’ite pilgrims in Baghdad, an attack that claimed more than 20 lives.

The bloodshed comes amid an acute political crisis in Iraq that saw supporters of Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al Sadr storm the parliament building on Saturday.

The rise of the ultra-hardline Sunni insurgents has exacerbated Iraq’s sectarian conflict, mostly between Shi’ites and Sunnis, which emerged after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

Reuters