At least eight people were killed and 11 more wounded Wednesday after a suicide bomber exploded his car at a police checkpoint north of Baghdad, Iraqi officials said, just a day after a similar deadly attack took place in the same district.
The bomber reportedly slammed his car, which was loaded with explosives, into the checkpoint in northeastern al-Rashidiya district, a predominantly Shiite neighborhood. The Islamic State group released a statement shortly after the attack claiming responsibility.
On Tuesday, at least 12 people were killed after a suicide car bomber blew himself up near a crowded fruit and vegetable market. Police were forced to shut down several major roads around Baghdad as a result of the attack.
In two separate attacks last week, IS killed more than 300 people with suicide car bombs. In the first attack, a truck blew up in a crowded commercial area in another Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad called Karada. With 292 people killed, it was recorded as one of the deadliest attacks in Iraq since the U.S. invasion in 2003. In another attack last Thursday, 37 people were killed during an attack on a Shiite shrine north of Baghdad.
IS attacks have occurred with more frequency as of late, which prompted U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter earlier this week to commit 560 more U.S. troops to Iraq to help fight the terrorist group.
Carter said the new American forces will arrive within the next few weeks, and will be primarily tasked with transforming an air base that was recaptured from IS earlier this month into a staging area for the battle to retake Mosul.
