Ministry spokesman Brigadier General Saad Maan said six individuals wearing explosive belts “infiltrated into al-Jihad neighborhood” in the Ain al-Tamer town, west of Karbala, on Monday, Iraq’s al-Sumaria news website reported.

He said security forces, who had identified the terrorists, engaged them, killing five of them.

The sixth one, however, broke into a house and blew himself up, killing the six civilians and injuring six others.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the blast but Takfiri Daesh terrorists are suspected.

The Associated Press separately quoted Maan as saying that the terrorists sought to infiltrate Iraq’s holy shrine city of Karbala.

Hundreds of thousands of Shia Muslims from across the world are taking part in a march toward Karbala to attend mourning rituals on Arba’een, which marks 40 days after the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (PBUH), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Gruesome violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since Daesh terrorists mounted an offensive there more than two years ago and took control of portions of Iraqi territory.

Iraqi army soldiers, backed by pro-government fighters from Popular Mobilization Units and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, are fighting the Daesh terrorists back, Press TV Reports.

Forces have tightened security for the mourners on their way to and in Karbala.

SA - 12