Daesh Hits Iraq: 35 Martyred, 60 Injured in Terrorist Attack

Local Editor

At least 35 civilians lost their lives and 60 others sustained injuries when Daesh [the Arabic acronym for the terrorist "ISIS" group] militants carried out a bombing and shooting attack near a holy Shia Muslim mausoleum north of the Iraqi capital.

Security sources said a militant blew himself up at the external gate of the mausoleum of Sayyid Mohammad bin Ali al-Hadi [PBUH] in the city of Balad, situated 80 kilometers north of Baghdad, late on Thursday.

Several militants then stormed into the holy site and started shooting at pilgrims. Another bomber also detonated his explosives in the middle of the crowd, who were celebrating Eid al-Fitr festivities, which mark the end of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Reuters reported.

However, security forces killed a third bomber and defused his explosives, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a statement.

The militants also fired several mortar rounds at the mausoleum during the attack.

Daesh later claimed responsibility for the act of terror.

The development came as the death toll from Sunday's car bomb attacks in busy commercial areas of the capital has climbed to 292.

Relatively, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq says a total of 662 Iraqis were killed and another 1,457 wounded in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in June.

According to the UN mission, the number of civilian fatalities stood at 382. Violence also claimed the lives of 280 members of the Iraqi security forces. A great portion of the fatalities was recorded in Baghdad, where 236 civilians were killed.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team