Baghdad: A suicide bomber detonated explosives on Monday outside a Shiite mosque in central Baghdad, killing at least 11 people in the second such attack in the capital in 24 hours, officials said.
"It was a suicide attack that targeted people who were just leaving Husseiniyat al-Khayrat" after midday prayers in the Sinak area, a police colonel said.
At least 26 more people were wounded, according to the officer and a medical official. The attack comes less than a day after a suicide bomber attacked another Shiite mosque in central Baghdad, killing at least 22 people and wounding at least 36.
Baghdad has in recent days seen a rise in the number of bomb attacks, several of which have been claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group. The spate of bombings has raised fears that the extremist group would seek to attack large gatherings of Shiite worshippers during the month of Muharram, which starts at the end of the week.
The second-holiest month in the Islamic calendar after Ramadan includes the Ashura commemorations, during which hundreds of thousands of Shiite faithful converge on the holy city of Karbala on foot. The event has been marred by devastating bombings in past years.
