Iraq ‘must target jihad sleeper cells’
SECOND IN THREE DAYS
Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi called for the elimination of jihadist “sleeper cells” yesterday after a twin suicide bombing killed 31 people in Baghdad in the second such attack in three days.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but most such attacks in Iraq are the work of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.
The bombing comes after Abadi’s government declared victory over IS in December and as the country gears up for parliamentary elections.
“Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in Tayyaran Square in central Baghdad,” said General Saad Maan, spokesperson for the Joint Operations Command (JOC), which includes the army and the police.
“A police officer reported 31 dead and 94 wounded.”
Tayyaran Square is a bustling commercial centre and a place where day labourers gather, waiting for jobs. It has been the site of deadly attacks in the past.
Abadi held an emergency meeting with the JOC and intelligence officials after the attack, his office said, asking them to “eliminate IS sleeper cells and protect the security of civilians”.
Analysts have warned that IS would increasingly turn to such tactics as it was pushed underground after losing territory spanning the Iraq-Syria border.
Just hours after the first attack, another bombing in the east of Baghdad killed one person and wounded three, the police officer said. Attacks increased in Baghdad after the start of a battle in 2016 to retake second city Mosul from IS. Iraqi forces retook the northern city in July last year.
In December, the government announced the end of the war against IS, which has been expelled from the Baghdad region and urban areas of Iraq that it controlled. Jihadist elements are still active, however.
On Saturday, a suicide bomb attack near a security checkpoint killed at least five people in northern Baghdad.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The bombings come as Iraq gears up for elections in May.
Abadi is standing for re-election in the parliamentary polls as the head of a new coalition. His new Victory Alliance will compete against the State of Law bloc of Nuri al-Maliki, the vice-president. Since taking over, Abadi has rebuilt the armed forces, taken back disputed areas in the north from the Kurds and convinced Hashed al-Shaabi, a Shi’ite-dominated paramilitary force that helped fight IS, to join his Victory Alliance. – AFP