Iraq: Death toll reaches 74 in twin attacks, IS claims responsibility

At least 74 people including Iranians were killed in twin gun and car bomb attacks near the city of Nasiriyah in southern Iraq on Thursday, according to a new toll.

"The toll has now reached 74 dead and 93 wounded," Abdel Hussein al-Jabri, deputy health chief for the mainly Shiite province of Dhiqar of which Nasiriyah is the capital, told AFP.

He warned that the death toll could rise as many of the wounded were in serious condition. 

The attack occurred as Iraqi forces battled to defeat Isis militants in areas under their control. Isis claimed the twin slayings through its propaganda agency Amaq.