1st LD: At least 7 killed in suicide bombing at funeral in Iraq's Diyala

At least seven people were killed and 15 others wounded on Monday in a suicide bomb attack at a funeral tent in a village in Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, a provincial security source told Xinhua.

The attack occurred in the afternoon when a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest detonated himself at a funeral ten in the Shiite village of Brishtah, some 100 km northeast of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the source said on condition of anonymity.

The huge blast caused heavy devastation to the scene and destroyed several nearby buildings and civilian cars, the source said, adding that the toll could rise as civilian ambulances and civilian cars were evacuating the victims Maqdadiyah hospital and nearby medical center.

The volatile town of Maqdadiyah witnessed escalation in sectarian tension especially after January 11, when massive bombings claimed by the Islamic State (IS) militant group hit a coffee shop in the town attended by Shiite residents, pushing Shiite militiamen to bomb and burn several Sunni mosques and tens of shops owned by Sunnis in the town, along with executing dozens of Sunni residents in retaliatory attacks.

The IS has frequently targeted areas where crowds of people gather, including markets, cafes and mosques across Iraq.

Iraq is currently witnessing a wave of violence since the IS terrorist group took control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions in June 2014.

Earlier, a UN report estimated more than 22,300 people were killed or injured in armed conflicts in Iraq in 2015. Endit