BAGHDAD — A suicide bomber on Sunday rammed his explosives-laden fuel truck into a security checkpoint south of Baghdad, killing at least 47 people and wounding 65, officials said, the latest episode in an uptick in violence in the war-ravaged country.
Among the dead were 39 civilians, while the rest were members of the security forces. The attacker struck shortly after noon when the checkpoint at one of the entrances to the city of Hillah was crowded with dozens of cars, a police officer said.
Hillah is located about 60 miles south of Baghdad.
A medical official confirmed the causalty figures. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.
Iraq has seen a spike in violence in the past month with suicide attacks in and outside Baghdad killing more than 100 people.
