BAGHDAD (Web Desk) – The Islamic State (IS) group has staged a suicide attack on a gas factory near Baghdad in which 14 people were killed and 20 wounded.
The assault began when three car bombs exploded at the gate of the plant in Taji, north of the capital.
Six men wearing explosive belts rushed in and blew up gas tanks before security forces were able to wrest back control of the facility.
IS, which controls large parts of western and northern Iraq, has stepped up attacks in Baghdad recently, BBC reported.
It has claimed the latest incident, which began after dawn at the Taji facility, 20km (12 miles) north of Baghdad.
A fireball shot up into the air as the three gas tanks were blown up by militants who stormed the plant.
Those killed in the blasts are reported to include workers and security forces personnel.
While IS has suffered recent setbacks in both Iraq and Syria, the elaborate attack so close to Baghdad underlines the vast threat still posed by the group.
The suicide attack comes four days after car bomb attacks by IS killed 93 people in Baghdad – the deadliest day of violence in the capital so far this year,
Meanwhile, Iraq remains in political crisis as divisions among political factions have prevented the formation of a new cabinet.
The deadlock has raised concerns about the government’s ability to fight IS.
