More than 100 killed in twin Baghdad bombings

A suicide car bombing claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least 119 people in a Baghdad shopping district in the early hours of Sunday.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab

03 July, 2016

The death toll has been rising rapidly following the brutal attacks [Getty]

Two separate bomb attacks have killed at least 119 people and wounded more than 140 people in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, early on Sunday, the deadliest single attack in the capital this year.

The first attack was a massive car bomb that rocked the Karrada district, a crowded commercial area frequented by young people and families after sundown during the holy month of Ramadan.

Shortly afterwards, another bomb attack struck a market in Baghdad's eastern al-Shaab neighbourhood.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the Karrada attack. The group said the bombing targeted members of Iraq's Shia Muslim majority, whom it considers heretics and frequently attacks in Baghdad and elsewhere.

Eyewitnesses shared videos on social media showing the horrific aftermath of the Karrada attack that left several buildings ablaze.

Men carried the bodies of two victims out of one burned building and a crowd of people looked on from the rubble-filled street as firefighters worked at the site.

Despite a string of territorial gains by Iraqi ground forces against IS, the extremist group has repeatedly shown it remains capable of launching attacks in Iraqi territory far from the front-lines.