Suicide bomber kills at least 21 at Baghdad funeral

At least 21 people were killed and 46 wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the funeral of a pro-government Shia Muslim fighter in Baghdad Friday, Iraqi police and medical sources said.

The bomber detonated his explosives' vest at the service in the Iraqi capital's southwestern suburb of Hay Al-Amal, a police official told the Associated Press. At least 43 people were wounded in the explosion.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast at a mosque in the predominately Shia neighborhood.

The Sunni fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), who control large parts of Iraq's north and west, frequently set off bombs in the capital and further afield.

The funeral was for a member of the Hashid Shaabi, a government umbrella group comprised mostly of Shia fighters who are playing an influential role in the battle against ISIL.

Iraq has been afflicted by sectarian conflict mainly between Shia and Sunni Muslims since shortly after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

The rise of ISIL has exacerbated those tensions and prompted U.S.-led airstrikes on the fighters in areas of Iraq and neighboring Syria where the group aims to establish a modern-day caliphate.

Since the emergence of ISIL, Baghdad has seen near-daily attacks, with roadside bombs, suicide blasts and assassinations targeting Iraqi forces and government officials, with significant casualties among the civilian population.

The violence has killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands of Iraqis.

Also Friday in Baghdad, a roadside bomb detonated at a Shia shrine in Sadr City, killing at least five people and wounding 15, police officials said.

Wire services