Hilla —A suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group killed at least 70 people, mainly Shiite pilgrims, south of Baghdad on Thursday, as Iraqi forces battle to retake Mosul from the jihadists. The huge truck bomb blast ripped through a petrol station where packed buses returning from the Arbaeen commemoration in Karbala were parked, officials said. Most of the dead were Iranians, the largest contingent of foreigners in the pilgrimage, which is one of the world’s largest religious events and culminated on Monday. The attack took place near a village called Shomali, about 120km southeast of Baghdad. IS, which is fighting to defend its Mosul stronghold in northern Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attack. Falah al-Radhi, head of the provincial security committee for Babylon, the province where the bombing happened, said several buses were targeted. "A large truck exploded among them. It was a suicide attack," he told AFP. "There are at least 70 dead, fewer than 10 are Ir...
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