ISIS has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack in a city south of Baghdad that killed at least 35 people, Iraqi police officials said.
At least 105 others were wounded in the attack, which targeted one of the busiest checkpoints in Hilla, according to police officials in the city. The roads beyond the checkpoint lead to the Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. Hundreds of thousands of Shiites visit those two cities every year.
The attacker was driving a truck laden with explosives, police said. Women and children were among those killed and wounded, police said. Dozens of vehicles were damaged and destroyed.
The ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency claimed responsibility in a statement published on Twitter and tweeted by several ISIS supporters.
“Rafidha (Shiites) should know the battle has just started and the coming is worse and more bitter, God willing,” ISIS said in the statement.
Just last month, ISIS acknowledged it was behind two suicide bombing attacks at a busy outdoor market in eastern Baghdad, that left at least 66 people dead.
Hilla is the capital of Babylon province, a predominantly Shiite region about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Baghdad.