33 killed in clashes and bombings in Iraq

At least 33 people were killed in bombings and clashes with the Islamic State (IS) militant group in central Iraq Saturday, a security source said.

In the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, a huge explosion hit a house in Palestine Street area, leaving at least seven militiamen dead, an interior ministry source told Xinhua without giving further details.

In Salahudin province, fierce clashes erupted between Iraqi security forces and IS militants in the city of Samarra, some 120 km north of Baghdad, leaving nine soldiers and 17 IS militants dead, a provincial security source said.

He added that the troops also seized a cache of weapons and explosives after the IS militants withdrew from the scene.

Terrorism and violence have killed 5,576 civilians in Iraq in the first half of this year, with 11,666 more wounded, according to a recent UN report.