Horror moment teenage Islamic State suicide bomber kills dozens at football match
THIS is the moment an Islamic State (ISIS) suicide bomber killed dozens of people after detonating an explosive belt during a football match trophy ceremony.
ISIS suicide bomber attacks Iraq football stadium
About 30 people, mainly young boys, were killed and 71 injured by the bomb, the head of security in Babel province, Iraq, said.
The blast in Iskandariya, a mixed Sunni and Shi’ite Muslim town 25 miles south of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, happened at about 4.15pm GMT (7.15pm local time).
The devastating bomb happened at the end of an amateur football game as the bomber presented a trophy to the winning team.
The town's mayor is thought to have been among those killed.
A makeshift memorial close to the site of the bombing
The bomb went off just after this man presented a trophy
An injured Iraqi boy lies in a hospital bed
ISIS militants, who control swathes of territory in Iraq’s north and west, were behind the attack, according to Amaq news agency, which is affiliated with the terror group.
On Twitter, ISIS claimed one of its fighters, Saif allah al Ansari, was the suicide bomber.
ISIS have claimed the suicide bombing
Crowds gather to mourn the victims of the football match
Horrifying photos, which Express.co.uk has chosen not to publish, show young boys aged about 10 with blood everywhere and serious burns as they are taken to hospital by paramedics.
A boy who was wounded by a suicide bombing at a soccer field
Mourners attend the funeral of a victim killed by a suicide bombing
At least 60 people were killed earlier this month in an attack claimed by ISIS 80 km further south, in Hilla, when an explosives-laden fuel tanker slammed into an Iraqi security checkpoint.
An apparent escalation of large bombings targeting areas outside Islamic State's primary control suggests that Iraqi government forces may be stretched thin after recent gains against the group in the western and northern provinces.