A suicide attack in an oasis town south of Baghdad killed eight people and wounded at least six on Monday, Iraqi officials said.

The attack in Ain al-Tamer involved six suicide bombers, some of whom may have been killed by security forces before they could blow themselves up.

Masum al-Tamimi, a member of the Karbala provincial council, said that six suicide bombers armed with light weapons as well as explosives tried to infiltrate Ain al-Tamer early on Monday.

But they clashed with security forces before withdrawing to the Al-Jihad area and detonating explosives there, Tamimi said, putting the death toll at eight, a figure confirmed by a doctor.

The interior ministry issued a statement on the attack, saying that five of the bombers were killed by security forces while the sixth detonated explosives inside a house.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the ISIL Takfiri group frequently carries out suicide bombings in Iraq.

Attacks in southern Iraq are rare, especially compared to the frequent bombings that hit Baghdad.

But Ain al-Tamer, which is located 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the holy shrine city of Karbala, is on the edge of Anbar province, which has long been a haven for Takfiris.

A similar attack involving militants armed with explosives, rifles and grenades hit Ain al-Tamer in late August, killing 18 people and wounding at least 26.

ISIL issued a statement claiming that responsibility for that attack.

Iraqi forces are now fighting to retake the northern city of Mosul, the last major population center held by ISIL in the country.

Source: AFP