IS attack on funeral kills 13, injures 45 in Iraq

Baghdad: At least 13 people were killed and 45 others injured in an attack by carried out by the Islamic State (IS) terror group on a funeral and a nearby checkpoint in Iraq’s Salahudin province, a police source said Saturday.

The attack took place on Friday evening when IS militants attacked a funeral tent in the village of Albu Jily near the town of Yathrib, some 80 km north of Baghdad, the source told Xinhua.

The IS militants also attacked a nearby checkpoint in the village, al-Bazi said, adding that three policemen were among the killed.

The security forces sealed off the scene as reinforcement troops arrived in the area, he added.

A medical source from Balad Hospital told Xinhua that they received 13 bodies with bullet wounds, while 45 wounded others were admitted for treatment, some of them in critical condition.

A brief statement by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command confirmed the attack, adding that details were to be released later.

Salahudin Provincial Governor Ammar al-Jaber condemned the deadly attack in a statement, stressing the security forces will launch an investigation into the incident to bring the perpetrators to justice.

During the past months, the terror group have intensified their attacks on the Iraqi security forces in the province the militants previously controlled, leaving dozens dead and wounded.