Gunmen and suicide car bombers killed at least 74 people, including seven Iranians, near the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya on Thursday, an official said, giving an updated toll.
“There are now 74 deaths and 93 wounded,” Abdel Hussein al-Jabri, deputy health chief for the mainly Shiite province of Dhiqar, said of the attack claimed by the Islamic State group.
A statement on the Amaq news agency, which supports ISIS, said the attacks carried out by its suicide fighters targeted a restaurant and a checkpoint, killing dozens.
That was up from the previous toll of 60 dead and 91 wounded in what was already the deadliest IS attack in Iraq since pro-government forces drove the jihadists out of second city Mosul in July.
Saudi Arabia condemns attack
An official source at the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the double attack on in southern Iraq.
The source reiterated the Kingdom's position on condemning terrorism and extremism and standing by the Republic of Iraq offering condolences to the families of the victims and to the Iraqi people and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.
Also Read
-
Iraq holding 1,400 foreign wives, children of suspected ISIS fighters
Iraqi authorities are holding 1,400 foreign wives and children of suspected ISIS fighters after government forces expelled the militant group from one ... Middle East -
Iraq steps up strikes on ISIS-held Hawija ahead of offensive
The Iraqi air force and the US-led coalition have stepped up a campaign of airstrikes on the ISIS group-held town of Hawija ahead of a planned ground ... Middle East -
Iraq announce Tal Afar and surrounding areas liberated from ISIS
Iraq declared on Thursday that its forces had retaken the northern city of Tal Afar and the surrounding region in another major victory over ISIS ... Middle East -
Suicide car bomb explodes on highway near oilfields in southern Iraq
A suicide car bomber blew himself up at a checkpoint on a highway near oilfields in Iraq’s southern province of Basra on Friday, police sources ... Middle East
