BAGHDAD: A suicide truck bomb killed more than 80 people, most of them Iranian pilgrims, at a petrol station in the city of Hilla 100 km (62 miles) south of Baghdad on Thursday, police and medical sources said.
Daesh (Islamic State) claimed responsibility the attack in an online statement. The pilgrims were en route back to Iran from the Iraqi holy city of Kerbala, the medical sources said.
The gas station has a restaurant in its premises that is popular with travellers. Five pilgrim buses were torched by the force of the blast from the explosives-laden truck, a police official said.
Daesh has intensified attacks over the past month in areas out of its control in efforts to weaken a US-backed military offensive launched on Oct. 17 to retake Mosul, the last major city under Daesh control in Iraq.
Source : reuters
