BAGHDAD (AP) – Twin suicide bombings ravaged a busy market in the Iraqi capital on Thursday, killing at least 32 people and injuring dozens, officials said.
The rare suicide bombing affected the Bab al-Sharqi shopping area in central Baghdad amid political tensions intensified by the scheduled early elections and a severe economic crisis. Blood splattered on the pavement of the crowded market amid piles of clothes and shoes as survivors took stock of the subsequent chaos.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Iraqi military officials said it was the work of the Islamic State group.
Iraqi Health Minister Hassan Mohammed al-Tamimi said at least 32 people had been killed and 110 injured in the attack. He said some of the injured were in serious condition. Earlier, the Iraqi army put the death toll at 28.
The Ministry of Health announced that all its hospitals in the capital were mobilized to treat the injured.
Major General Tahsin al-Khafaji, a spokesman for the Joint Operations Command, which includes a number of Iraqi forces, said the first suicide bomber shouted out loud that he was ill in the middle of the bustling market, prompting that a crowd gathered around. he – and that was when he detonated the explosive belt. The second detonated his belt shortly after, he said.
“This is a terrorist act perpetrated by a sleeping cell of the Islamic State,” al-Khafaji said. He said ISIS “wanted to prove its existence” after suffering many blows in military operations to root out the militants.
At the Vatican, Pope Francis denounced the attack on Baghdad as an “act of senseless brutality” and urged Iraqis to continue working to replace violence with fraternity and peace. The telegram of condolences sent to the Iraqi president was especially sincere, as Francis is due to visit Iraq in early March to try to encourage the country’s Christian communities that have been devastated by ISIS persecution.
Thursday’s twin suicide attacks were the first in three years to target the bustling commercial area of Baghdad. In 2018 there was a suicide attack in the same area shortly after then-Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi declared victory over the Islamic State group, a Sunni militant group.
Iraq has been attacked by Islamic State groups and most Shiite militia groups in recent months. Militias have routinely targeted the U.S. presence in Iraq with rocket and mortar attacks, especially at the U.S. embassy in the heavily fortified green area of Baghdad. The pace of these attacks, however, has slowed since Iran-backed armed groups declared an informal truce in October.
Thursday’s assault style was similar to what ISIS has carried out in the past. But the group has rarely been able to penetrate the capital since it was dislodged by Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition in 2017.
The IS has demonstrated its ability to conduct increasingly sophisticated attacks in northern Iraq, where it still maintains a presence, three years after Iraq declared victory over the group.
Iraqi security forces are often ambushed and attacked with IED in the rural areas of Kirkuk and Diyala. An increase in attacks was observed last summer as militants seized government attention to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
The twin bombings came on Thursday days after the Iraqi government unanimously agreed to hold early elections in October. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi had announced in July that the first polls would be held to meet the demands of anti-government protesters.
Last year protesters took to the streets for tens of thousands of people to demand political change and put an end to rampant corruption and poor services. More than 500 people were killed in mass demonstrations while security forces used live wheels and tear gas to disperse the crowds.
Iraq is also facing a severe economic crisis caused by low oil prices that has led the government to apply for domestic loans and risk running out of its foreign exchange reserves. The Central Bank of Iraq devalued the Iraqi dinar by almost 20% last year to meet spending obligations.
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Associated Press writer Murtada Faraj in Baghdad contributed to this report.