Suicide bombings kill 70 in Baghdad

A twin suicide bombing claimed by Islamic State (IS) killed 70 people in a Shia district of Baghdad yesterday in the deadliest attack inside the capital this year, as militants launched an assault on its western outskirts.

Police sources said that the suicide bombers were riding motorcycles and blew themselves up in a crowded mobile phone market in Sadr City, wounding more than 100 people in addition to the dead.

A witness saw pools of blood on the ground with slippers, shoes, and mobile phones at the site of the blasts, which was sealed off to prevent further attacks.