Deadly twin blasts kick off election season
BAGHDAD: Iraq’s Prime Minister, Haider alAbadi 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).
The bombing comes after Mr Abadi’s government declared victory over the 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 Gen Saad Maan, spokesman for the Joint Operations Command, which includes the army and police. A police officer reported 31 dead and 94 wounded.
Tayyaran Square is a bustling commercial centre and a place where day labourers gather in the early morning waiting for jobs. It has been the site of deadly attacks in the past.
Iraqi analyst Hisham al-Hashemi said attacks at the square since 2011 have killed 180 people, “often in the run-up to elections or just after the polls”.
They aim to “create chaos and exacerbate sectarian divisions,” he said.
Mr Abadi held an emergency meeting with the Joint Operations Command and intelligence officials after the attack, his office said, asking them to “eliminate IS sleeper cells” and ensure the security of civilians.
Analysts have warned the IS would increasingly turn to such tactics as it was pushed underground after losing territory spanning the Iraq-Syria border.
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 for that bombing.
The bombings come as Iraq gears up for elections in May, with voters deeply concerned about security in a country wracked by violence since the 2003 US-led invasion.
On Sunday, Mr Abadi said he would stand for re-election in the parliamentary polls as the head of a new coalition.