Suicide bomber targets Shia funeral mourners in Iraq capital

A militant has blown himself up at a Baghdad mosque packed with mourners during the funeral of a Shia militia fighter on Friday, killing at least 17 people.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab & agencies

13 November, 2015

Baghdad's Shia population have been frequent targets of Sunni militants [AFP]

A suicide bomber killed at least 17 people at a Shia funeral in a mosque in the Iraqi capital on Friday, security and medical officials said.

The attack in the al-Ashara al-Mubashareen mosque in the Amil area of south Baghdad also wounded at least 32 people.

Two officials said the funeral was for a member of the volunteer paramilitary force known as the Popular Mobilisation units.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but suicide bombings are a tactic largely used by Sunni extremists in Iraq, including the Islamic State group, who consider Shia Muslims to be heretics.

The Popular Mobilisation units - which are dominated by Iranian-backed Shia militias - are some of the most effective forces in the battle against IS, which overran large parts of the country last year.

Yesterday, militants detonated a bomb in a busy south Baghdad marketplace, killing shoppers.