A suicide car bomb driven by ISIL fighters killed at least 39 people and wounded 57 in an attack on a busy square in Baghdad’s sprawling Sadr City district.
The bomber driving a pickup truck struck an outdoor fruit and vegetable market, hitting daily labourers and a police checkpoint, a police officer said.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) took responsibility for the blast via its Amaq website, claiming the “martyrdom operation” had killed around 40 people.
ISIL also claimed an attack in central Baghdad that killed at least 27 people on Saturday.
US-backed Iraqi forces are currently fighting to push ISIL fighters from the northern city of Mosul, the armed group’s last major stronghold in the country, but are facing fierce resistance.