Suicide bombings against Iraqi forces kill at least 10

Three suicide bombers targeted Iraqi forces in the Baghdad area and the country's south on Monday, killing at least 10 troops, security and medical officials said.

The morning attacks also wounded at least 45 people, the sources said.

One bomber targeted a joint police and army checkpoint in north Baghdad, while two others struck pro-government militia forces on a street in Mishahada, north of the capital, and in a restaurant in Nasiriyah in southern Iraq.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but the Islamic State militant group frequently carries out suicide bombings in Iraq targeting civilians and security forces.

Meanwhile, IS militants launched an extensive attack on the town of al-Baghdadi, west of Anbar province, in an attempt to ease pressure on Hit, a city besieged by Iraqi forces from all sides.

According to a military source, the attack began at dawn with 10 car bombs, six of which were detonated before reaching their targets, while the other four managed to result in at least 30 casualties among army and tribal forces.

More than 20 IS militants were killed in the attack, the source added.

Tribal leader Mahmoud al-Namrawy told The New Arab that Hit will be liberated from IS control in the next few days.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces have since regained significant ground with the assistance of US-led airstrikes and training.

On Saturday, the UN said that violence had killed at least 1,119 Iraqis in March, a steep increase from the previous month, as the IS stepped up attacks on civilians, despite suffering battlefield setbacks.

Another 1,561 Iraqis were wounded during the month, the UN mission to Iraq said in a statement.

The figures include 575 civilians killed and another 1,196 wounded.