Iraq PM announces recapture of key base from IS militants

The Thursday night attack follows the truck bombing of a shopping district in the capital, Baghdad, on Sunday, in which at least 292 people died. Prime Minister’s Haider Al Abdi’s office confirmed yesterday, hours after another attack to the north left 40 dead.

The attack late on Thursday targeted the shrine of Imam al-Sayed Mohammed bin Ali in the town of Balad, around 80 kilometres north of the capital Baghdad.

Officials said, one bomber blew himself up outside the mausoleum, which was then stormed by gunmen.

The death toll from a suicide attack claimed by Islamic State on a Shi’ite shrine in northern Iraq has risen to 50 people, medical sources and witnesses say.

Iraq has suffered a devastating security vacuum since mid-2014, when Daesh captured Mosul and overran large swathes of territory in the northern and western parts of the country.

They were the head of Baghdad’s security command, the head of Interior Ministry intelligence for Baghdad, and the official responsible for Baghdad in the national security adviser’s office.

After the Baghdad attack, Abadi announced new security measures, but it was unclear if any have been implemented. The government had assured people that driving ISIS from Falluja – about 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Baghdad – and the rest of Anbar province would bring greater security to the capital, but that hasn’t been the case, according to retired Lt. Col. Rick Francona, a CNN military analyst.

In response to the battlefield setbacks, the extremist group has hit back against civilians, and experts have warned there may be more bombings as the militants continue to lose ground.

People have been furious over delays in determining the fate of their loved ones, and with the number of unidentified bodies now bigger, it may take even longer.

Small-scale bombings occur on a near-daily basis in Baghdad.

The attack has overshadowed what would normally be a joyful holiday for Iraqi Muslims.

Small-scale bombings occur on a near-daily basis in Baghdad and, in May, a string of larger attacks, many of them claimed by Daesh, killed more than 200 people in a single week.

An official from Mr Al Abadi’s office has said the premier has accepted Mr Ghabban’s resignation, but there has been no official confirmation.