Isis kills 34 in Baghdad suicide bombing at Shia market

Three car bomb attacks in Baghdad, Iraq, have killed a total of at least 93 people, with the deadliest of the trio claiming 84 lives and wounding 87 in a market in Sadr City, local officials have said. Separate attacks in the northern districts of Kadhimiya and Jamia left 29 dead. Islamic State (Isis) has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

An SUV car, laden with explosives, was detonated in the commercial district at rush hour, in an attack designed to cause maximum casualties. Reuters reported that the vehicle was outside a beauty salon in the eastern districts of the Iraqi capital.

Isis (Daesh) said it had carried out the bombing in an online statement. The militant group, which holds swathes of territory in Iraq and neighbouring Syria, said it targeted Shia militia men in the area.

In late February, Isis claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in Baghdad and Abu Grahib, killing more than 80. A double suicide bombing in Sadr City at a market killed 73, with as many as 112 left wounded.

On 1 May, Shia protesters stormed Baghdad's green zone, breaking into the country's national parliament. The demonstrators aligned with powerful Shia Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr were protesting delays over the ratification of a new Iraqi cabinet.

Al-Sadr, who rose to prominence during the US invasion of Iraq, has called on his followers to put pressure on the government over issues of corruption.