Baghdad: relentless wave of terror bombings claims new victims

Workers gathered at a square in Iraq's capital were killed when an explosive device detonated on Tuesday.

2 min read

29 March, 2016

Workers were gathered at the scene when the bomb exploded [Getty]

At least 20 people and 15 injured have been killed in a suicide attack that ripped through Baghdad on Tuesday morning, security and medical officials said.

Workers gathering at Tayaran Square in the Iraqi capital were hit when an explosive device hidden underneath a pile of waste detonated, security officials told ��.

Nearby stores were also damaged in the attack.

"The death toll is expected to rise due to the seriousness of some of the cases that have been brought into the hospital," Dr. Hassan Hamadi told ��.

Although no group has yet claimed the attack, Baghdad police colonel Salem Nemah accused the Islamic State group of carrying out the deadly attack, noting security officials had began investigating CCTV footage from the scene.

Iraq suffers from regular attacks from the Islamic State group across the country.

Earlier this week, multiple Islamic State suicide bombers attacked an Iraqi military base in Anbar province hosting hundreds of coalition advisers, killing at least three Iraqi soldiers.

Another suicide bomber killed at least 41 people when he detonated an explosive device at a football tournament in the city of Iskanderiyah just a day before.

The IS group has lost ground in recent months in Iraq and Syria, but has struck back with a series of large attacks targeting civilians.

The government has had to pull several units out of the Anbar offensive however to beef up security in Baghdad, where protesters have been camping outside the fortified Green Zone to demand reforms.