Deadly suicide blast rocks Iraq capital

At least about 28 killed in a string of attacks in Baghdad amid growing fears that Anbar province could fall to ISIL fighters.

About 35 people have been killed and scores wounded in a series of attacks in Iraq, medical and police officials say.

At least 13 people were killed in two car bombs in Shia-dominated parts of western Baghdad on Saturday night. A third blast killed another 15 people, Reuters news agency reported.

Also on Saturday, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives belt in a market 28km north of Baghdad, between the towns of Tarmiyah and Mishahda, killing at least seven people and wounding 25 others. The area has been the scene of clashes between Iraqi forces and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters, who have taken control of large sections of northern and western Iraq this year.

In other violence, four Iraqi soldiers died in a friendly-fire incident in the town of Udaim, 90km northeast of
Baghdad.

The soldiers, who had been wounded by ISIL fighters, were being taken to hospital when Shia volunteer fighters mistook them for ISIL fighters and fired a rocket-propelled grenade at their vehicle, police and medical officials said.

Saturday's violence came amid warnings that the ISIL was close to taking over the whole of western Anbar province.

US Defence officials said Iraqi government forces were in a "tenuous" position in Anbar province, where the few remaining government-controlled areas have come under repeated attack from ISIL.

"It's tenuous there. They are being resupplied and they're holding their own, but it's tough and challenging," said a senior defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity on Friday.

"They believe that it is just a matter of days, up to 10 days, and ISIL can control the whole province of Anbar.

Anbar is the biggest province in Iraq and it also borders Syria, which means that ISIL an open supply line between its strongholds in Iraq as well as in Syria. It is also within the doorsteps of Baghdad," Khodr said.

Parts of Anbar province fell to ISIL at the start of the year and most of the rest was seized by the group in a lightning sweep through Iraq's Sunni Arab heartland in June.

(Aljazeera ).