TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A suicide bomber has hit a security checkpoint in Shiite-majority Hilla City, Iraq, on Sunday morning, killing 45 and wounding 157 other.
Among the deaths were five children, two women, and five police officers.
Salam Ali, one of the victims, said that the explosion hit the roadside post and dozens of cars surrounding the minivan driven by the bomber.
Witness Kadhim Abdulhussein said that he found shrapnel almost a hundred meters from the blast, which trapped hundreds of people in their cars.
No group has yet claimed responsible for the attack. However, local official Aqeel al-Rubaie accused Al-Qaeda, which has recently intensified its attacks on Hilla after fleeing from Anbar.
THE NEWS | INDEPENDENT | CORNILA DESYANA