At least 26 people have been killed after two suicide bombers struck a wedding party in a village north of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

Most of the dead were children and more than 60 people were also wounded in Wednesday's twin bombing in Hajaj, near the city of Tikrit.

The second killer detoned his explosives belt after the crowd had swelled with people rushing to help the victims of the first explosion.

"The first blew himself up amid men who were dancing during the celebration," police said.

Battle for Mosul: Fighting intensifies

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the suspicion fell on Islamic State which has targeted civilians and members of the security forces in Iraq in similar attacks in the past.


The bombing came as Iraqi forces advanced deeper into west Mosul, the extremist group's largest remaining urban stronghold.

During the past week they have recaptured a government complex and the city's antiquities museum where IS had destroyed priceless relics.

Eastern Mosul was declared "fully liberated" in February, but the militants have carried out attacks there since then.

Image: An Iraqi soldier treats a wounded child amid displaced civilians northwest of Mosul

Fighting in western Mosul has forced more than 50,000 people to flee, the International Organisation for Migration said.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led airstrikes and other support have since regained most of the ground they lost.

It is one of the reasons coalition forces are facing increasingly stiff resistance from IS militants - using suicide car bombs and snipers - as the group attempts to distract from its losses.