A suicide attacker has detonated an explosive belt in a park outside Baghdad, killing 26 people and wounding 71 according to the head of security in the Babel province where the bombing occurred.
The blast in Iskandariya, a mixed Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim town 40km south of the capital, happened on Friday evening at the end of an amateur soccer game, said Falah al-Khafaji.
Islamic State militants, who control swathes of territory in Iraq's north and west, were behind the attack, according to the Amaq news agency, which is affiliated with the group.
At least 60 people were killed earlier this month in another attack also claimed by Islamic State. In the district of Hilla, 80km further south, an explosives-laden fuel tanker slammed into an Iraqi security checkpoint.
An apparent escalation of large bombings targeting areas outside Islamic State's primary control suggests that Iraqi government forces may be stretched thin after recent gains against the group in western and northern provinces.
Reuters
