Iraq: At least 14 killed in suicide car bomb attack

At least 14 people were killed and 18 injured late on Saturday in a suicide car bomb attack at a market Iraq's Balad Ruz town in Diyala province.

Amer al-Kilani, a member of the Diyala provincial council, told Xinhua news agency that a car bomb driven by a suicide bomber exploded near a popular market at the western entrance to the town of Balad Ruz, capital of Diyala province, killing 14 people and wounding 18 others.

He said the explosion occurred about 100 meters from the security checkpoint, adding that extensive damage was caused to several cars and shops near the blast site.

In Diyala province, which is a mixture of Sunnis and Shiites, residents were exposed to the occasional bloody attacks carried out by extremist groups.

Terrorism and violence have killed at least 12,282 civilians and wounded 23,126 others in 2014 in Iraq, making it the deadliest year since the sectarian violence in the 2006-2007 period, according to a recent UN report.