Baghdad twin suicide blasts claims 26 lives

At least 26 persons were killed and 75 others injured in twin suicide attacks in Baghdad early on Monday, police said.

The first attack took place in the morning when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest at a crowded site near al-Tayaran Square where construction workers usually gather waiting for potential employers.

"The blasts were carried out by two suicide bombers," a spokesperson for the Iraqi Interior Minister said on his Twitter account. The second bomb exploded on a roadside.

The death toll was expected to climb further as many of the wounded were in critical condition, Efe reported.

Security forces cordoned off the area and ambulances evacuated victims to nearby hospitals.

No group claimed responsibility for the attacks but the Islamic State militant group, in most cases, is blamed for deadly attacks targeting crowded areas in Iraq, including markets, cafes and mosques.

Last week, a suicide bombing in Baghdad killed eight persons and wounded 10 others when the blast struck a northern Baghdad neighbourhood targeting a police checkpoint on a busy street.