Suicide bomb attack kills at least six near Iraq's Karbala

At least six people were killed and as many injured when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the district of Ain al-Tamer south of Baghdad on Monday, Iraqi officials said.

Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.

Attacks in southern Iraq are rare, especially compared to the frequent bombings that hit Baghdad. But Ain al-Tamer is on the edge of Anbar province, which has long been a haven for Daesh.

The attack was carried out by six suicide bombers near Iraq's holy city of Karbala at the start of a major Shia ritual, Arbaeen, which comes at the end of a 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad.

Security forces killed five attackers before they could detonate their explosives, Iraq's interior ministry said in a statement. The sixth bomber blew himself up after security forces cornered him into a house, the statement further said.

Masum al-Tamimi, a member of the Karbala provincial council, said the bombers were armed with light weapons as well as explosives and tried to infiltrate Ain al-Tamer early in the morning. But they clashed with security forces before withdrawing to the Al-Jihad area, Tamimi said

There was a similar attack in the area involving militants armed with explosives, rifles and grenades in late August, killing 18 people and wounding at least 26.