Suicide bomber targets Shiite funeral

At least 30 people died and 55 were injured when a suicide bomber activated his explosive vest among the crowd of mourners in Muqdadiyah, some 60 miles (90 kilometers) north of Baghdad on Monday.

A local leader of the powerful Shiite militia Asaib Ahl al-Haq was also among the victims, according to security officials cited by the AP news agency. At the same time, other sources claim that two Shiite officers were killed.

"The suicide attacker approached the... commanders and then blew his vest up, killing both with many others," a police major told Reuters.

The two senior militiamen allegedly attended a burial of a Shiite fighter.

Security in Muqdadiyah is mostly maintained by state-sanctioned Shiite groups known as the Popular Mobilization Forces.

The "Islamic State" (IS) group claimed responsability for the strike.

The IS has repeatedly targeted the area, including a suicide attack at a Muqdadiyah café which killed at least 20 people in January. After the January attack, Human Rights Watch accused Shiite militiamen of abducting and killing civilians and burning homes and Sunni mosques as revenge.

However, the pro-government troops have denied responsibility and blamed the IS.

The Monday bombing comes only a day after a massive attack at a Baghdad market, which killed at least 78 people. IS also claimed responsibility for the Sunday blast.

dj/rc (AFP, AP, Reuters)