Isil claimed responsibility for the attack via its propaganda agency Amaq, saying the "martyrdom operation" had killed about 40 people.

It also claimed another bombing on Saturday that left at least 27 dead in a busy area of central Baghdad.

France, one of the most active members of the US-led coalition fighting the Sunni extremist group, is particularly concerned over the return of a large contingent of French jihadists from Syria and Iraq.