Iraq attack kills at least 18 in Baghdad market

Published on : 07/19/2021 – 19:49

At least 18 people were killed on Monday (July 19) in the explosion of an artisanal device in a market in Sadr City, a huge impoverished Shiite suburb in the east of the Iraqi capital, said a security official.

“This is a terrorist attack and there are several victims,” ​​announced the Interior Ministry.

The senior security official reported at least 18 dead in the explosion, which occurred in the al-Howeilat market. Among the dead are four children and four women, according to a source at the Interior Ministry.

Videos posted on social media showed scenes of panic in the market, with women and children running away screaming. Many members of the security forces were dispatched to the scene and the wounded, at least fifteen, were evacuated to hospital.

The attack, which was not immediately claimed, occurred on the eve of the Muslim feast of the Sacrifice.

Opening of an investigation

An investigation was opened by the operational command of the security forces in Baghdad, and the Ministry of Health indicated that it was mobilizing resources to come to the aid of the victims.

This is the first attack in the Iraqi capital since last January, where 32 people were killed by two suicide bombers in a market in central Baghdad. The attack was claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).

In May, four unclaimed attacks attributed to ISIS targeted Iraqi soldiers in towns near the capital, killing 18 people.

Sadr City, a popular suburb of Baghdad, is the stronghold of supporters of the turbulent Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr, whose influence is often decisive in Iraqi politics.

With AFP