Thursday, March 28, 2024

Baghdad

Civilian killed, 5 wounded in western Baghdad market blast

 Civilian killed, 5 wounded in western Baghdad market blast

The aftermath of the bombing that hit Karada in central Baghdad in July 3.

The aftermath of the bombing that hit Karada in central Baghdad in July 3.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) One civilian was killed and five others were wounded on Wednesday when an explosive device exploded west of Baghdad, according to police sources.

The bomb, which was placed on the side of a road in Bakriya district, exploded near a popular market, the sources told Alsumaria News.

Nobody claimed responsibility for the bombing yet, but Islamic State militants have said they were responsible for several bloody explosions that hit the capital in recent weeks.

Violence surged in Iraq with the emergence of Islamic State militants who took over large areas of the country in 2014. Baghdad has been witnessing almost daily bombings and armed attacks targeting civilians and security personnel.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) says violence in the country had left 19000 casualties in nine months of 2016.

Observers believe Islamic State have begun to escalate attacks outside the city of Mosul, where the group has been losing ground and personnel since October, so as to relieve pressure by government forces on that front and to divert attention from group losses.

While losing Mosul could be the severest blow to the group’s existence in Iraq, some observers believe attacks outside the province prove that the extremist group can still pose a security threat.

*The article was modified to note that Bakriya is west, not east, of Baghdad

Leave a Reply