Security forces kill suicide bomber in Iraq's Baghdad, civilian killed

Iraqi security forces on Saturday shot dead a suicide bomber at a crowded area in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, leaving a civilian killed and nine others wounded, a police source said.

Acting upon intelligence, the troops in the evening spotted a suicide bomber and shot him dead in the busy transportation hub of Alawi district in downtown Baghdad, but he blew his explosive belt, leaving a passerby killed and nine others wounded, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The human casualty could be higher as the attacker was intended to detonate his explosive belt at a busy place in the area, but the troops foiled his attack, the source said.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for the suicide attacks, targeting areas where crowds of people gather, including markets, cafes and mosques across Iraq.

Iraq has witnessed worsening violence since the Islamic State (IS) group took control of parts of its northern and western regions in June 2014.

Terrorist acts, violence and armed conflicts killed 691 Iraqis and wounded 1,016 others in August across Iraq, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq said earlier.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the U.S. that invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003. Endit