BAGHDAD: A motorcycle rigged with explosives went off near a Shia mosque south of the capital Baghdad, killing three people and wounding 34, Iraqi security officials said on Saturday.

The officials said the blast happened the previous evening on a commercial street in the village of Mussayyib.

They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The militant Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it targeted “gatherings of Shias” near a mosque.

Iraq declared victory against IS in late 2017, but the group continues to carry out attacks through sleeper cells, particularly in the country’s north.

Iraq’s military announced it started a new operation early on Saturday targeting IS hideouts and sleeper cells in western Anbar province.

The military said the operation aims to “search and clear” wide desert areas in the province that borders Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2019