At least 50 die in twin attacks in Iraq

At least 50 die in twin attacks near Nasiriya

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Image captionThe attack has been claimed by so-called Islamic State

At least 50 people have been killed in two attacks in southern Iraq, health officials say.

A suicide bomber detonated a vest and gunmen opened fire inside a restaurant near Nasiriya, capital of Dhiqar province, security sources said.

Soon afterwards, a car bomb exploded at a nearby checkpoint.

So-called Islamic State said it carried out the attacks. Shia Muslim pilgrims including Iranians are thought to be among the dead.

More than 80 people were injured in the attacks, many of them seriously, and the death toll could rise, health officials said.

Image copyrightNASIRIYAH.ORG

Image captionSome of the injured are in a serious condition

According to news agency AFP, one report said the attackers were disguised as members of Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) - a mainly Shia group that has fought alongside Iraqi forces against IS.

IS are enduring defeat after defeat on front lines in both Iraq and Syria, but they remain capable of launching devastating assaults on soft targets, says BBC Middle East editor Alan Johnston.

It is still believed to have hundreds of followers prepared to carry out attacks.

However, such attacks are relatively rare in southern Iraq, and Dhiqar province has previously been spared some of the worst of Iraq's violence.

The area targeted is on a main road frequented by Shia pilgrims and visitors from Iran on their way to the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala to the north.

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Image captionThe attacks happened near Nasiriya in southern Iraq

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