More than 80 killed, injured in several Baghdad, Basra blasts
A bomb blast in Baghdad.
Two booby-trapped vehicles, driven by suicide attackers, exploded at Abu Dsheer checkpoint, located at the northern entrance of the capital of Baghdad.
The blasts left 24 victims and 17 injured, the source, who preferred anonymity said.
Two other blasts occurred in Basra when booby-trapped vehicles exploded at al-Remeila military checkpoint, located on a highway near oilfields in Basra. Eleven persons were killed, while 32 others were wounded.
Later on Friday, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Basra car bombing.
Violence in the country has surged further with the emergence of Islamic State Sunni extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
Violence and armed conflicts claimed the lives of 317 Iraqis, and caused injuries to 403 others during the month of April, according to a monthly count by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI).
The total figure of victims signalled a drop from 1115 victims in March.
Nineveh, where U.S.-backed Iraqi government troops are caught up in battles against Islamic State militants in Mosul since October, came on top of the most affected governorate, with 276 casualties (153 killed, 123 injured). Baghdad Governorate came next with 55 killed and 179 injured. Salahuddin came third, with 15 killed and 43 injured.