BAGHDAD — At least 60 people were killed and more than 100 wounded on Monday in two blasts in eastern Iraq claimed by Daesh (the so-called IS) in a province once considered mostly free of them. In January, Iraqi officials declared victory over the insurgents in Diyala province, which borders Iran, after security forces and Sh'ite paramilitaries drove them out of towns and villages there. But the militants have remained active. An explosion at a market in Huwaidar, about 4 km (2.5 miles) north of the provincial capital of Baquba, killed 53 people and wounded at least 80, police and medical sources said. “The attacker managed to pass a checkpoint by lining up with a wedding motorcade and then split off with his explosives-packed vehicle to blow it up in a crowded marketplace,” said Diyala police captain Mohammed Al-Tamimi. A separate blast to the east of Baquba killed a further seven people and wounded 25. Daesh said it had targeted a checkpoint manned by the army and volunteers from the Hashid Shaabi — an umbrella group of mainly Shiite militias fighting the radicals. — Reuters
