Baghdad bombings claimed by IS kill 94

Three car bombs in Baghdad, including a huge blast at a market in a Shiite area, killed at least 94 people yesterday, the bloodiest day in the Iraqi capital this year, AFP reports.
The attacks, all claimed by the Islamic State group, came with the government locked in a political crisis that some have warned could undermine the fight against the jihadists.
The worst bombing struck the frequently targeted Sadr City area of northern Baghdad at about 10, killing at least 64 people, officials said.
The blast set nearby shops on fire and left debris including the charred, twisted remains of a vehicle in the street.
Another suicide car bomb attack killed at least 17 people at the entrance of the northwestern neighbourhood of Kadhimiya, which is home to an important Shiite Muslim shrine.
Access to the neighbourhood, which has also been repeatedly targeted over the years, is heavily controlled. Several members of the security forces were among the victims, hospital sources said.
In the Jamea district in western Baghdad, another car bomb went off in the afternoon, killing at least 13 people, an interior ministry official and medics said.
A total of around 150 people were wounded in the three bombings.
IS issued an online statement claiming responsibility for all three attacks. It said they were carried out by suicide bombers, for whom they each provided a nom de guerre. The UN's top envoy in Iraq, Jan Kubis, condemned the bloodshed. "These are cowardly terrorist attacks on civilians who have done nothing but going about their normal daily lives," he said.

 

Baghdad bombings claimed by IS kill 94

Three car bombs in Baghdad, including a huge blast at a market in a Shiite area, killed at least 94 people yesterday, the bloodiest day in the Iraqi capital this year, AFP reports. The attacks, all claimed by the Islamic State group, came with the government locked in a political crisis that some have warned could undermine the fight against the jihadists. The worst bombing struck the frequently targeted Sadr City area of northern Baghdad at about 10, killing at least 64 people, officials said. The blast set nearby shops on fire and left debris including the charred, twisted remains of a vehicle in the street. Another suicide car bomb attack killed at least 17 people at the entrance of the northwestern neighbourhood of Kadhimiya, which is home to an important Shiite Muslim shrine. Access to the neighbourhood, which has also been repeatedly targeted over the years, is heavily controlled. Several members of the security forces were among the victims, hospital sources said. In the Jamea district in western Baghdad, another car bomb went off in the afternoon, killing at least 13 people, an interior ministry official and medics said. A total of around 150 people were wounded in the three bombings. IS issued an online statement claiming responsibility for all three attacks. It said they were carried out by suicide bombers, for whom they each provided a nom de guerre. The UNs top envoy in Iraq, Jan Kubis, condemned the bloodshed. These are cowardly terrorist attacks on civilians who have done nothing but going about their normal daily lives, he said.