Five killed in bomb attack on Iraqi graveyard

Five killed in bomb attack on Iraqi graveyard
A bomb blast targeting a burial at a graveyard in Iraq's Haswa killed at least five people on Thursday.
1 min read
06 May, 2016
The blast was the latest in a string of attacks in Iraq [File Photo: AFP]
Five people were killed and 14 others injured when a bomb blast shook a graveyard south of Baghdad on Thursday, as a group gathered for a burial.

The explosion hit the graveyard in Haswa, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of the capital, where a previous suicide bombing in March ripped through a football trophy ceremony, killing 32 people.

"A bomb went off in a graveyard in Haswa as a family were preparing to bury a relative," Saad Maan said in a statement.

"The bomb exploded near the grave and killed five mourners and wounded 14," he said.

No group claimed responsibility for Thursday's attack however Islamic State militants have carried out several attacks in recent weeks.

On the same day, a suicide bomb targeting Iraqi forces rocked a town in the southern Fallujah area, killing and injuring dozens.

Twin bombings on April 25 killed 16 people collectively when they exploded in both south and north Baghdad.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces and Kurdish militias – backed by US-led airstrikes – have since regained significant ground.

The extremists still control large parts of northern and western Iraq, and are able to carry out frequent bombings in government-held areas.