Twin suicide bombings kill dozens in Baghdad market
BAGHDAD — Twin suicide bombings ripped through a busy market in the Iraqi capital on Thursday, killing at least 32 people and wounding dozens, officials said in what was the first massive bombing in years.
The rare suicide bombings hit the Bab al-Sharqi commercial area in central Baghdad amid heightened political tensions over planned early elections and a severe economic crisis. Blood was splattered on the pavement of the market amid piles of clothes and shoes as survivors took stock of the disarray.
By sundown, crowds reappeared at the site, carrying the coffins of the deceased in a show of defiance. Many questioned the timing of the attack, which occurred a day after U.S. President Joe Biden was sworn into office. The U.S.led coalition recently ceased combat activities and is gradually drawing down its troop presence in Iraq, sparking fears of an Islamic State group resurgence.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but Iraqi military officials said it was the work of the Islamic State group.
Iraq’s health minister Hassan Mohammed al-Tamimi said at least 32 people were killed and 110 were wounded in the attack.
Maj. Gen. Tahsin al-Khafaji, spokesman for the Joint Operations Command, which includes an array of Iraqi forces, said the first suicide bomber cried out that he was ill in the middle of the bustling market, prompting a crowd to gather around him — and that’s when he detonated his explosive belt.
The second detonated his belt shortly after, he said.
“This is a terrorist act perpetrated by a sleeper cell of the Islamic State,” al-Khafaji said. He said IS “wanted to prove its existence” after suffering many blows in military operations to root out the militants.
At the Vatican, Pope Francis denounced the attack as a “senseless act of brutality” and urged Iraqis to keep working to replace violence with fraternity and peace. Francis is due to visit Iraq in early March to try to encourage the country’s Christian communities that have been devastated by IS persecution.
U.N. Secretary- General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack and appealed to the Iraqi people “to reject any attempts to spread fear and violence aimed at undermining peace, stability and unity,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
The U.N. chief called on the government “to ensure that those behind these horrific crimes are swiftly identified and brought to justice,” Dujarric said.
Thursday’s twin suicide bombings marked the first in three years to target Baghdad’s bustling commercial district. A suicide bomb attack took place in the same area in 2018 shortly after thenPrime Minister Haidar al-Abadi declared victory over the Islamic State, a Sunni militant group.
Iraq has seen assaults perpetrated by both the Islamic State group and mostly Shiite militia groups in recent months.