In Iraq: Suicide bomb in Baghdad kills at least 18

The ultra-hardline Sunni militants of Islamic State who control large parts of Iraq's north and west frequently set off bombs in the capital and further afield.

At least 18 people were killed and 41 wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the funeral of a pro-government Shi'ite Muslim fighter in Baghdad on Friday, Iraqi police and medical sources said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast at a mosque in the predominately Shi'ite neighbourhood of Hay al-Amil.

The ultra-hardline Sunni militants of Islamic State 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 Shi'ite fighters seen as a critical force in the battle against Islamic State.

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

The rise of Islamic State has exacerbated those tensions and prompted U.S.-led air strikes on the militants in areas of Iraq and neighbouring Syria where the jihadists aim to establish a modern-day caliphate.