Civilian dead, 3 wounded in bomb blast in southwest Baghdad
A man looks at the site where a car packed with explosives blew up yesterday, in Hayy al-Shurta, a Shi’ite district in Baghdad, Iraq February 17, 2017. REUTERS/Ali al-Mashhadani – RTSZ32H
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) One civilian died and three were wounded on Wednesday when a bomb blast rocked an area in southwestern Baghdad, a police source was quoted saying.
The source told Ikh News that the bomb was placed near commercial stores in Radwaniya, southwest of the capital.
A monthly count by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), which excludes security members deaths, said 196 civilians were killed, while 381 others were wounded due to violence and armed conflicts during the month of September. The fatalities included 10 foreign nationals. Baghdad was the most affected province with 37 deaths and 157 injuries.
The Iraqi capital has seen almost daily bombings and armed attacks against security members, paramilitary troops and civilians since the Iraqi government launched a wide-scale campaign to retake Islamic State-occupied areas in 2016.
While most of of the explosions and attacks in Baghdad go without a claim of responsibility, Islamic State has claimed several incidents.
Some security observers believe that even after Islamic State’s main havens across Iraqi provinces are conquered, the group may still constitute a security threat through sleeper cells and lone wolf attacks. The Iraqi government is preparing to drive the group out of its last havens in Anbar: the towns of Rawa and Qaim.