Baghdad: Around 19 people died in a series of car bomb attacks on Saturday in a crowded marketplace and a Shia militia's checkpoint in north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
According to the Police the first attack took place in the morning when a car bomb exploded near a busy market in the town of Balad Ruz. Minutes later, a second car bomb went off, targeting people who had gathered to inspect the site of the first blast.
Later on, a suicide bomber drove his explosive-laden car into a checkpoint manned by Shia militiamen who are fighting Islamic State militants near the city of Samarra, killing eight Shia fighters and wounding 15 others.
Police said clashes erupted between Iraqi security forces and Islamic State militants following the attack in areas around Samarra, 95 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad.