Thread: Baghdad Bombing

  1. #1
    Jolie Rouge's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2000
    Location
    Lan astaslem !
    Posts
    60,656
    Thanks
    2,750
    Thanked 5,510 Times in 3,654 Posts

    Baghdad Bombing

    Death Toll in Baghdad Bombing Exceeds 150

    Attack by Islamic State marks extremist group’s first major attack on the Iraqi capital since losing Fallujah

    By Ghassan Adnan in Baghdad and Karen Leigh in Dubai
    Updated July 4, 2016 11:01 a.m. ET


    The death toll from a massive car bomb explosion in the heart of one of Baghdad’s busiest neighborhoods rose to at least 151 on Monday, authorities said, as Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced additional security measures in the Iraqi capital.

    Islamic State claimed responsibility for the blast in Karrada, which occurred Sunday morning as the district’s streets swarmed with young people and families. At least 195 people were also wounded in the explosion.

    The bombing appeared designed to maximize mayhem. Restaurants were crowded for the nighttime meals that mark the end of each day’s fast during Ramadan, and stores swarmed with shoppers buying gifts in preparation for Eid al-Fitr, the festive celebration that culminates the monthlong observance.

    Gen. Khadhum Salman, the head of Iraq’s civil defense, told state television that the militants used highly flammable materials that caused flames to spread quickly. Some 44 firetrucks were dispatched to the blaze.

    It was the Sunni Muslim extremist group’s first major attack on the Iraqi capital since it was routed by Iraqi forces in the city of Fallujah late last month. A succession of battlefield defeats in Syria and Iraq has led the militants increasingly to revert to suicide attacks on civilians in urban areas and other guerilla-style military tactics.

    The attack in Karrada kindled new anger over the deteriorating security in Baghdad. It is thought to be the deadliest single bombing in the capital since February 2007, when a car bomb targeted a market in the Al Sadriyah district, killing 130 people.

    When Mr. Abadi toured the site hours after the blast, angry crowds jeered him, calling him a thief and throwing shoes and rocks at his convoy.

    “Leave, leave, don’t let him stay here,” they shouted. Late Sunday, Mr. Abadi issued a statement announcing an increase in security and intelligence efforts but gave no details.

    Interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan said measures would be taken against the security personnel in charge of the area where the explosion took place.

    “We are making efforts to arrest the criminals who [carried out] this crime. Such crimes won't stop us from defeating the terrorism of Daesh,” he said, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

    Khalid Al Mullah, a well-known senior Sunni cleric and adviser to President Fuad Masum, criticized what he called Mr. Abadi’s indecisiveness in dealing with security matters.

    “We need men of state to run this country and to protect it,” he said in a scathing televised speech. “We have hundreds [of people] getting killed and the government does nothing.”

    Islamic State said in a statement distributed online that it had targeted a gathering of Shiite Muslims, whom they regard as polytheists and infidels.

    Minutes after the Karrada bombing a bomb detonated in the crowded east Baghdad neighborhood of al-Shaab, killing four people and wounding 16, the interior ministry said. No group has claimed responsibility for the second attack.

    On Monday, violence continued. A suicide bomber wearing an explosives vest blew himself up as he was searched at a government checkpoint in the Baghdad’s Sabe Al Bore district, killing two soldiers and wounding three others, the interior ministry said.

    Two bombs went off elsewhere in the city, killing five people and injuring 24 others, the ministry said. There was no claim of responsibility for either attack.

    Mr. Abadi has presided over months of political uncertainty, partly caused by frequent attacks on Baghdad and other cities that have exposed gaps in Iraq’s security infrastructure.

    “Despite repeated promises made by security forces, the slaughtering of Iraqis continues on a daily basis by the terrorists,” said Ayad Allawi, the former Iraqi prime minister and one of Mr. Abadi’s political rivals.

    The Iraqi army reclaimed full control of Fallujah from Islamic State on June 26. The city, in Anbar province some 40 miles west of Baghdad, served as a command center for the terror group, and was one of its last major strongholds in Iraq following its loss of Ramadi and the northern city of Sinjar.

    Islamic State retains control of Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, which it has held since overrunning large swaths of the country in 2014. An offensive to reclaim the city has been discussed for two years but not launched.

    The group’s ability to stage major attacks in what are supposed to be well-secured parts of Baghdad underlines its resilience and the government’s failure to uproot it.

    “Daesh is trying to prove its existence by [carrying out] attacks in Karrada, specially after being defeated in Fallujah,” said Saad Al Mutalibi, deputy head of the Baghdad provincial council’s security committee.

    In May, Islamic State claimed responsibility for a series of bombings over three days that left more than 100 people dead across the Iraqi capital, in some of the deadliest insurgent violence in recent years.
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

  2. # ADS
    Circuit advertisement Baghdad Bombing
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Posts
    Many
     

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Log in

Log in