A suicide bombing targeting a funeral gathering in northern Baghdad on Saturday killed at least 46 people and left another 63 wounded, Iraqi police and hospital officials said.
The attack in the Shaab neighborhood occurred at around lunchtime, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media. The ISIS group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement carried by the ISIS-linked Aamaq news agency.
The claim could not be independently verified, but it was carried by a news organisation affiliated with the ISIS group. The attack comes as Iraqi security forces are preparing for an operation to retake the militant-held northern city of Mosul, the country’s second largest city, from the ISIS group.