Deadly blast rocks Baghdad market

BAGHDAD, Iraq — An explosion tore through a market in the eastern part of the capital Thursday, killing at least one person and injuring 12 others, according to Iraq’s military.

The military said the blast in the capital’s Sadr City, in the Habibiya neighborhood, was caused by a car laden with highly explosive materials that blew up while passing through a popular used furniture market, sending a cloud of black smoke above the area.

Shortly afterward, a crowd of people gathered around the mangled wreckage of a charred car and a burned-out white van. A fire engine was parked nearby.

The driver of the car was killed in the explosion, the statement said.

Iraqi President Barham Salih condemned the attack, calling it a “shameless“attempt by terrorist groups to destabilize the country during the holy month of Ramadan.

“We stand firmly against these attempts,” Salih tweeted.

Associated Press Boys peer inside a damaged vehicle at the scene of an explosion at a crowded outdoor used furniture market in the Sadr City area of Baghdad.