There has been a suicide bomb attack near the home of the new Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad.

The bomber blew himself up outside the checkpoint that leads to the house on Tuesday. There have been no reports of any casualties.

Al-Abadi was brought in to replace Nouri al-Maliki who was seen as divisive. He had only been appointed on Monday but was calling on Iraq’s leaders to stop feuding and unite against Islamic State jihadists.

Elsewhere in the city, at least 17 people were killed in two car bombings in Shia areas.

One local resident said: “What crime have we committed? They damaged shops and buildings. What is the crime those innocent young boys committed?’‘

Meanwhile the United States has authorised sending another 130 soldiers to Iraq to help thousands of members of the Yazidi community trapped on a mountain by the Islamic State jihadists.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel told US marines: “I recommended to the president, and the president has authorised me to go ahead and send about 130 new assessment team members up to northern Iraq, in the Irbil area.”

The EU has also given the go-ahead for individual member states to supply weapons to Kurdish forces who are fighting to reclaim territory from the extremists.