Suicide bomber kills dozens in Iraqi capital

The bomber, who was on foot, detonated his suicide vest at Aden Square near one of the busy entrances of the district of Kadhimiyah, security sources said.

The Islamic State group [IS] has issued a statement claiming the attack, saying it targeted soldiers and Shia militias in the area.

IS carries out frequent suicide bombings targeting both Iraqi security forces and the country's Shia majority.

Abdallah al-Ameri, a member of the Baghdad City Council, said that poor management of security in the capital was to blame for the attack.

"In spite of the recent wave of attacks and many warnings, we still see a weak security plan that is not up to par with the serious threat," Ameri told The New Arab.

"Security forces will have to give up their old methods of countering terrorism and begin using modern bomb detectors and implementing a new strategy to keep civilians safe."

A suicide bomber targeted shoppers in Baghdad's central Karrada district earlier this month, killing 292 people, while an attack on a Shia shrine in Balad, north of the capital, left 40 dead a few days later.

Since late last year, IS has suffered a string of territorial losses, most recently last month in Fallujah, where it was driven out by Iraqi forces after occupying the city for more than two years.

But in response to the losses IS has begun to carry out near-daily bombings in and around Baghdad.