Baghdad: 18 killed in suicide bomb attack at funeral

At least 18 people were killed and 41 wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the funeral of a pro-government Shia Muslim fighter in Baghdad on Friday, Iraqi police and medical sources said.

At least 18 people were killed and 41 wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the funeral of a pro-government Shia Muslim fighter in Baghdad on Friday, Iraqi police and medical sources said.

Displaced Sunni people fleeing the violence, cross a bridge on the outskirts of Baghdad. (Reuters Photo)

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast at a mosque in the predominately Shia neighbourhood of Hay al-Amil.

The ultra-hardline Sunni militants of Islamic State who control large parts of Iraq’s north and west frequently set off bombs in the capital and further afield.

The funeral was for a member of the Hashid Shaabi, a government umbrella group comprised mostly of Shia fighters seen as a critical force in the battle against Islamic State. Iraq has been afflicted by sectarian conflict mainly between Shia and Sunni Muslims since shortly after the US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

The rise of Islamic State has exacerbated those tensions and prompted US-led air strikes on the militants in areas of Iraq and neighbouring Syria where the jihadists aim to establish a modern-day caliphate.