Explosion outside US Consulate in northern Iraq as blasts around Baghdad kill 40

A car bomb exploded outside the U.S. Consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil and a series of bombings ravaged several areas around Baghdad, killing at least 40 people. A blast and gunfire was heard in central Irbil, a Reuters witness said, which is unusual in the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.
“There explosion within the perimeter of the U.S. Consulate, our protocol personnel accounted for. There were no injuries to local guards or personnel,” State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said.

“Local authorities responded and are securing the area. We will work with the authorities to investigate the facts of the explosion,” Harf told reporters at a briefing in Washington.
Harf said she could not provide any details on who is responsible for the attack and said Iraq remains a dangerous place.

The large blast went off just outside the consulate building in Irbil's Ankawa neighborhood, setting nearby cars on fire, Kurdish security forces quickly
arrived on the scene.

The Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility for the attack, the jihadist monitoring group SITE referred to an ISIS account saying fighters from its Kirkuk division "were able to detonate a car bomb on the building of the American Consulate in the city.” Meanwhile, a series of bombings ripped through Baghdad, mainly targeting public places and killing at least 40 people.