More than 70 killed in Pakistan shrine suicide bombing

Some 75 people have been killed in a suicide bombing at a shrine in southern Pakistan.

So-called Islamic State said it carried out the attack, which happened at the Lal Shahbaz Qalander shrine in the town of Sehwan Sharif on Thursday.

The attack on the shrine is the largest of a wave of bombings to hit Pakistan this week and the deadliest in the country for more than two years, leaving many questioning the authorities' ability to combat militant groups.

Officials said the bomber entered the main hall of the shrine and detonated his bomb amid dozens of worshippers.

Women and children are understood to be among the dead.

Pakistan's army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, said: "Each drop of the nation's blood shall be avenged, and avenged immediately."

In security operations following the attack, forces have killed at least 39 suspected militants across the country and 47 others were arrested - including some in Sindh province where the attack on the shrine happened.

The attack came on the same day IS claimed responsibility for a car bombing in Baghdad which left more than 50 people dead.