On Saturday evening, Islamist terrorists launched a suicide car bomb attack in the heart of Baghdad, killing 126 people, including 25 children. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
Explosions tore through a several building complexes in the predominantly Shiite district of Karrada while locals gathered around restaurants to break the Ramadan fast while watching EuroCup games. A thriving commercial district was reduced to rubble and debris.
It was the deadliest attack in Baghdad since US and coalition forces withdrew from the region.
AP/Hadi Mizban
An Iraqi woman grieves at the scene of a deadly suicide a car bomb at a commercial area in Karada neighborhood, Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 3, 2016. Dozens of people have been killed and more than 100 wounded in two separate bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital Sunday morning, Iraqi officials said. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
AP/Hadi Mizban
Iraqi security forces and civilians gather at the site after a car bomb hit Karada, a busy shopping district in the center of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 3, 2016. Dozens of people have been killed and more than 100 wounded in two separate bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital Sunday morning, Iraqi officials said. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
Friend at the scene of car bomb in Baghdad: families of the victims are screaming, bodies burnt on the street. I can't describe the carnage.
— Hayder al-Khoei (@Hayder_alKhoei) July 3, 2016
The Shaab neighborhood of southeastern Baghdad was also struck by a bomb on Sunday. One person died, and five others were injured.
This is the third terrorist attack of the past week. ISIS-affiliated jihadists have slaughtered innocents in Istanbul, Dhaka, and Baghdad, in a perverse celebration of Ramadan.
AP/Hadi Mizban
Iraqi firefighters help survivors at the site of a deadly suicide car bomb attack in the neighborhood of New Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, June 9, 2016. Two separate suicide attacks in and outside the Iraqi capital have killed at least 27 people and wounded dozens. Officials say the deadliest bombing took place in New Baghdad, a commercial area of a majority Shiite neighborhood, killing over a dozen civilians. Another suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into an Iraqi army checkpoint north of Baghdad, killing at least 12 people. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
In all three locations, the Sunni-Salafist jihadists attempted to mitigate the harm done to fellow Sunnis by attacking international hubs, cafes where foreigners frequent, and Shia-populated urban centers.
Baghdad has borne the brunt of car bomb attacks in recent weeks as Islamic State militants have attempted to destabilize the Iranian-backed government of Haider Al-Abadi.
Source: The Daily Wire
