11 civilians killed in attack in Diyala, Iraq

A group armed with explosives and guns killed 11 people in eastern Iraq, security officials said Friday.

The attack took place Thursday night in the area of Muqdadiyah in Diyala province. A roadside bomb exploded and gunmen then opened fire on rescuers and bystanders at the scene, two security officials said. The victims were all civilians, the officials said. The gunmen fled and no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Diyala province has seen periodic attacks by Islamic State cells and sporadic violence due to sectarian tensions between Shiites and Sunnis, as well as fighting between rival militias and their tribal and political allies struggling over influence and lucrative racketeering networks. The province, which borders both Iran and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, is a prime conduit for smuggling.

The Iraqi military’s joint operations command said in a statement that it would form a committee to investigate the attack.

The provincial governor of Diyala, Muthanna al-Tamimi, vowed in a statement to “pursue the perpetrators of the terrorist attack.”