At least 70 Shia pilgrims have been killed in a truck bomb attack at a road stop. The blast struck at a petrol station and restaurant near al-Hilla, some 100 kms south of Baghdad.
The road stop was full of people returning from the Arbaeen pilgrimage in the city of Karbala. Iranians and Bahrainis are among the victims. The Islamic State group said it carried out the attack, and claimed the death toll was more than 80.
Meanwhile, Iraqi troops have driven out Islamic State militants from three more neighborhoods in the northern city of Mosul.
According to senior Iraqi Commander, Iraqi armed forces retook the neighborhoods of Amn, Qahira and Green Apartments and are expanding their foothold in the densely populated district of Zohour.