1st LD: At least 25 killed in suicide truck bombing near Baghdad

At least 25 people were killed and more than 57 others wounded on Sunday in a suicide truck bomb attack on a security checkpoint in northern the city of Hilla, capital of Iraq's central Babil province, a provincial security source told Xinhua.

The attack occurred around noon when a suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden truck into the crowded al-Athar security checkpoint at the northern entrance of Hilla, some 100 km south of Baghdad, the source said on condition of anonymity.

"The latest report said that 25 people were killed and 57 others wounded by the truck bombing," the source said, citing initial report.

The massive blast destroyed the checkpoint buildings and left dozens of vehicles badly damaged, while many civilian cars were set ablaze, the source said.

The toll could rise as many killed and wounded people were evacuated by ambulances and civilian cars to different hospitals and medical centers in the city, the source added.

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

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