Iraq: those responsible for the attack on the Baghdad market arrested, announces the Prime Minister

Published on : 07/24/2021 – 16:51

Those responsible for the attack that killed 30 people on Monday in a popular market in Baghdad, and claimed by the Islamic State organization, have been arrested, Iraqi Prime Minister Moustafa al-Kazimi announced on Twitter on Saturday July 24.

“We have arrested all members of the cowardly terrorist cell that planned and carried out the attack on the al-Woheilat market” of Sadr City, a huge popular Shiite suburb in the east of the capital, “and they will be presented today. hui before a judge, “the prime minister said.

“Confessions” televised in the coming days

According to a source at the Interior Ministry, the suspects, whose number has not been specified, are expected to make televised “confessions” in the coming days, a method used in Iraq in major criminal cases.

The attack took place late Monday in a very popular market in Sadr City, where large crowds flocked to shop on the eve of Eid al-Adha, the most important Muslim holiday. A suicide bomber set off his explosives belt, causing – according to a latest official toll – 30 dead, the vast majority of them women and children, and more than 50 injured.

The announcement of the dismantling of the cell responsible for the attack comes a few days before Moustafa al-Kazimi’s visit to Washington, where he will be received Monday for the first time by US President Joe Biden.

The Iraqi prime minister, under heavy pressure from powerful pro-Iran factions demanding the withdrawal of foreign troops, is hoping for substantial announcements regarding the American presence in Iraq.

The international anti-terrorism coalition deployed in 2014 in Iraq to help defeat the Islamic State group now numbers some 3,500 men, including 2,500 American soldiers.

The jihadist organization, which controlled large portions of Iraqi territory between 2014 and 2017, has been officially defeated, but its sleeper cells remain present in the mountains and desert regions, and carry out occasional attacks.

Already in January, a suicide attack claimed by the Islamic State group had killed 32 people in a market in Baghdad.

With AFP