A firefighter inspects the destroyed vehicle at the scene of an explosion caused by an explosive device in eastern Baghdad. (Photo: Ameer Al Mohammedaw/Photo Union from Getty Images)
- The bomb exploded at Woheilat Market in Sadr City.
- At least 21 people were killed and 33 were injured.
- Locally manufactured improvised explosive devices were used in the attack.
A medical source told AFP that a bomb exploded in a busy market in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, on Monday, killing at least 21 people and injuring 33 others.
An explosion occurred in the densely populated Shiite suburb of Sadr City because shoppers crowded the market to buy food before the Islamic Eid al-Adha.
Video clips shared on social media after the explosion showed that the victims were bleeding and people screamed in horror.
A source from the Ministry of the Interior said that four women and four children were among the victims.
The Iraqi Ministry of the Interior said in a statement: “In the Woherat Market in Sadr City, east of Baghdad, a locally made improvised explosive device (improved explosive device) was used to launch a terrorist attack, killing several victims and injuring others. .”
Did not immediately ask for responsibility.
The Baghdad Combat Command, a joint military and internal security agency, said it has launched an investigation into the bombing.
In January this year, the Islamic State organization claimed responsibility for a rare twin suicide bombing that killed 32 people-also in a crowded market in Baghdad.
That explosion was the deadliest attack in the city in three years.
Picture | At least 92 people killed in fire in Iraqi Covid-19 hospital
This violence was commonplace in Baghdad during the sectarian bloodshed following the US-led invasion in 2003, and later as IS swept through most of Iraq and targeted the capital.
But after years of deadly violence, radical attacks in the capital Baghdad have become relatively rare.
After three years of fierce election campaigns, Iraq announced the defeat of the Islamic State at the end of 2017.
However, the organization’s latent group continues to operate in the desert and mountainous areas, usually targeting security forces or low-casualty attacks on national infrastructure.
The US-led coalition, which has always supported Iraq’s campaign against the Islamic State, has drastically reduced its troop size in the past year, citing an increase in the capabilities of the Iraqi military.
The United States, which provides most of its troops, has only 2,500 soldiers left in Iraq—down from 5,200 a year ago.
They are mainly responsible for training, providing drone surveillance and conducting air strikes, while the Iraqi security forces are responsible for the safety of urban areas.
The city of Sadr where the bomb exploded on Monday was named after the respected Shia clergyman Muhammad Sadr.
His son Moqtada Sadr (Moqtada Sadr), a inflammatory clergyman with millions of followers and command of paramilitary organizations, is a key figure in Iraqi politics, and he often protests the influence of the United States and Iran. .
Al-Sadr’s election in October was a blow to Prime Minister Mustafa Kadmi, who called for early voting in response to the demands of pro-democracy activists.
