Police say arrested suspects behind deadly western Baghdad blast
Saad Maan, Spokesman for Baghdad Operations Command. File photo.
“A security force arrested perpetrators behind the explosion that occurred at St. 84 in al-Amel neighborhood on Monday and left 44 casualties,” according the ministry’s statement.
It said forces also arrested another group suspected of carrying out another attack in February that killed five people in al-Aalam district, also southwest of the capital.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) says violence in the country left nearly 392 dead and 613 injured, excluding security members, during February. Baghdad was the second most affected province with 120 deaths and 300 injuries, according to the organization’s monthly casualty count. It excludes death toll among security members after Iraqi authorities had asked to get such information exclusively from security commands.
While several blasts are not followed by a claim of responsibility, Islamic State militants said they had been behind some bloody explosions and attacks that hit the capital in the past months, leaving casualties among civilians and security troops.
Some 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. They are concerned that the group could, however, shift to a guerilla-style war and lone wolf attacks after the recapture of Mosul.