At least 35 people are dead after a suicide bomber struck a crowded market in the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad.

The bombing in the Sadr City area on Monday also injured more than 60 people, with a number of them in critical condition, according to police.

It happened on the eve of the Eid al Adha holiday, so the market was busy with people shopping for food and gifts.

The explosion left merchandise strewn over the ground and devastated shopkeepers tried to salvage what they could.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that one of its members blew up his explosive vest while standing among the crowds.

Iraq’s president Barham Salih described it as an “awful crime”, adding: “We will not rest before terrorism is cut off by its roots.”

Prime Minister Mustafa al Kadhimi held an urgent meeting with top security commanders to discuss the attack.

A military statement said he had the commander of the federal police regiment responsible for the area placed under arrest.

The regularity of bombings in Baghdad has slowed since Islamic State was defeated in 2017 but there have still been a number of attacks this year.

In January more than 30 people were killed in a twin suicide bombing in the crowded Tayaran Square market and in April a car bomb at a market in Sadr City killed four people and injured 20.

In June, 15 people were injured after a bomb was placed under a kiosk at another Sadr City market.

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