Bawa Mahmoud shrine detonated in the Kurdish city of Khanaqin

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The tomb of Bawa Mahmoud was destroyed in an explosion in Diyala’s Khanaqin city on Wednesday evening, a security source said.

Although the tomb is considered a holy shrine for the followers of the Kurdish Kakai religion, Shia Muslims also frequently visit the site.

No group claimed responsibility for the blast, but the attack is similar to actions the so-called Islamic State (IS) has previously carried out in the region.

On Tuesday, a bomb also detonated at 10 a.m. near the shrine which Shia Kurds visit during the Arba’een religious observance, a significant event marking the end of 40 mourning days after Ashura.

Tuesday’s blast killed two women, Khanaqin police said. Police also stated that they defused another bomb in the area.

IS claimed responsibility for the attack in an online statement on Wednesday.

IS and other extremist groups have repeatedly targeted Shia events, attended by large numbers of individuals belonging to the religious sect since the fall of the Ba’athist regime in 2003.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces who have protected the area since 2014 were ousted last October by Iraqi troops and Shia militias following the independence referendum. Since then, the security situation in many disputed territories has deteriorated.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

(Additional reporting by Harem Jaff)