While 52 people died and at least 65 were injured in the attack, dozens from Sadr City took to the streets to blame the government for the carnage
What happened?
A car bombing claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group killed at least 52 people at a market in a Shiite area of north Baghdad yesterday, officials said. The bombing, which hit the Sadr City area at around 10:00 am, also wounded at least 65 people, the officials said. The blast set nearby shops on fire and left debris including the charred, twisted remains of a vehicle in the street.
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Iraqis look at the damage following a car bomb attack in Sadr City, a Shiite area north of the capital Baghdad yesterday. Pic/AFP
Reactions
Dozens of angry people gathered at the scene of the bombing, blaming the government for the carnage. “The state is in a conflict over (government positions) and the people are the victims,” said a man named Abu Ali, adding: “The politicians are behind the explosion.”
Abu Muntadhar echoed his anger. “The state is responsible for the bombings that hit civilians,” he said. The politicians “should all get out.”
Angry demonstrators broke into Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone and stormed parliament after lawmakers again failed to approve new ministers last month. While the protesters withdrew the following day, parliament has still yet to hold another session.
An ISIS attack
ISIS issued an online statement claiming responsibility for the attack. It said a suicide bomber it identified as Abu Sulaiman al-Ansari detonated the explosives-rigged vehicle. IS, which overran large areas in 2014, considers Shiites, who make up the majority of Iraq’s population, to be heretics and often targets them with bombings.
Backdrop
The blast, the single deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital this year, comes as the government is locked in a political crisis that some have warned could undermine the fight against ISIS.
Iraqi forces have regained significant ground from ISIS, but the jihadists still control a large part of western Iraq, and are able to carry out frequent bombings in government-held areas. Iraq’s legislature has been paralysed by a political crisis over replacing the cabinet that the US and the UN have warned could undermine the fight against IS.
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