IS blast in Iraq kills 70 amid battle for Mosul

A SUICIDE bombing claimed by Islamic State killed at least 70 people, mainly Shiite pilgrims, south of Baghdad yesterday, in the latest jihadist attack as Iraqi forces battle to retake Mosul.

The huge truck bomb blast ripped through a petrol station where buses packed with faithful returning from the Arbaeen commemoration in Karbala were parked, officials said.

Most of the victims were Iranians, the largest contingent of foreigners in the pilgrimage, which is one of the world’s largest religious events and culminated on Monday.

The attack took place near a village called Shomali, about 120 kilometres southeast of Baghdad. IS, which is fighting to defend its Mosul stronghold in northern Iraq, claimed responsibility.

The jihadist group has carried out a series of high-profile diversionary attacks since Iraqi forces launched a huge offensive against their northern stronghold last month.

Elite forces battled IS jihadists in eastern Mosul yesterday, looking for fresh momentum in their five-week-old offensive to retake Iraq’s second city. Maan al-Saadi, a commander with the CounterTerrorism Service, said his forces were fighting IS in the neighbourhood of Al-Khadraa. “They cannot flee. They have two choices – give up or die,” he said.

IS fighters moving in an intricate network of tunnels have used snipers, booby traps and a seemingly endless supply of suicide car bombers to stop Iraqi forces.