Baghdad suicide blast kills at least 25

Published August 24th, 2013 - 08:46 GMT

IRAQ, Kirkuk : Iraqi policemen and investigators inspect the remains of a car bomb that exploded outside the ministry of education in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on August 22, 2013. AFP PHOTO MARWAN IBRAHIM

At least 25 were killed in Baghdad in a park in the Iraqi capital after Friday prayers, officials said.

Fifty people were also wounded by the suicide attack in the northern district of Qahira. The park was crowded with families, and has cafes and restaurants.

So far no one has claimed responsibility for Friday's suicide bombing. Sunni extremists like al-Qaida's Iraq branch are frequently blamed for such attacks.

Elsewhere in the country, six people were killed in Baghdad and towns to the north and south, the BBC reported.

Attacks have been on the rise in Iraq since a deadly security crackdown in April on a Sunni protest camp. 2013 has been the bloodiest year in Iraq since 2008, with more than 4,000 killed and 10,000 injured since January, according to UN figures.