Islamic State is claiming responsibility for two bomb attacks which killed 30 and injured up to 40 in central Iraq. One blast rocked the Shi'ite holy city of Karbala, second only to Mecca in importance for pilgrims.
The first attack took place in Karbala, 100km south of Baghdad, at around 11:30am local time when a bomb exploded at a city center bus depot, injuring five people, reports local media outlet Al Hurra news.
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RT reached out to Steven Nabil, the uploader of the above video, who is on the ground in Iraq and confirmed its authenticity, but said he was sent the footage by a colleague based in Karbala.
Hours later, at roughly 1:45pm local time, a suicide bomber attacked a busy market in Musayib, about 50km east of Karbala. It killed at least 30 and injured 35, according to Iraqi security sources cited by Reuters.
Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) already claimed responsibility for the attacks via their Amaq propaganda news network.
Friday’s suicide bombings are the fifth and sixth major attacks claimed by IS in recent weeks. Twin suicide bombs in Tehran, the attack on London Bridge and the Baghdad ice cream shop bombing all occurred since Ramadan began on May 27. They followed the Manchester attack at the Ariana Grande concert on May 22.
IS claimed responsibility for the Resorts World Manila attack but this has been disputed by both the perpetrator's family and Philippines authorities.