Iraq: Suicide attack hits south of Baghdad

A group of attackers armed with suicide vests and light weapons killed at least six people southwest of Baghdad on Monday, local officials said.

The attack in Ain al-Tamer involved six suicide bombers, some of whom may have been killed by security forces before they could blow themselves up

Masum al-Tamimi, a member of the Karbala provincial council, said that the six attackers tried to infiltrate Ain al-Tamer early on Monday.

But they clashed with security forces before withdrawing to the Al-Jihad area and detonating explosives there, Tamimi said, putting the death toll at eight.

The interior ministry issued a statement on the attack, saying that five of the bombers were killed by security forces while the sixth detonated explosives inside a house. The ministry put the death toll at six. 

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) frequently carries out suicide bombings in Iraq.