Six civilians killed, injured in bomb blast in Baghdad

Bagdhad (Iraqinews.com) – Six people were killed and injured Wednesday in a bomb blast at al-Mada’n district in Baghdad, a security source was quoted as saying.

“An explosive charge went off near a line of supermarkets at al-Mada’n district in Baghdad, leaving a citizen dead and five others wounded,” a source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Baghdad Today.

“Security forces rushed to the blast site and carried the dead body to the forensic medicine department, and the injured to hospital for treatment.

Violence in the country has surged further with the emergence of Islamic State extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.

The surge in violence between armed groups and government forces has resulted in over 3 million internally displaced persons across Iraq and left more than 11 million in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

In its monthly release, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said a total of 69 civilians, excluding police personnel, were killed, while 142 others were wounded in December due to acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict across the country.

The worst affected province was Baghdad with 122 civilian casualties (24 killed, 98 injured). Salahuddin ranked the second place, with 7 killed and 25 injured, then Kirkuk came third with 15 killed and 6 injured.

The figures saw a significant decline from November’s which reached a total of 117 Iraqi civilians killed and another 264 injured.