BAGHDAD -- A military commander said a suicide bombing near the oil-rich city of Basra, Iraq has killed at least eight people.
The commander of Basra Operations Command Jamil al-Shimmari on Saturday, May 20, said the bomber blew up his explosives-laden car the day before at a checkpoint north of Basra, killing five civilians and three troops.
Al-Shimmari added that a second attacker drove down a desert road after the explosion, and security forces killed him.
Basra is home to about 70 percent of Iraq's oil reserves of 153.1 billion barrels.
In an online statement, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it targeted Shiites.
The group also claimed responsibility for the double suicide bombings in Baghdad overnight that killed at least 19 people and wounded 33. (AP)