A Baghdad, Iraq shopping mall was the target of a suicide bombing attack Friday, leaving at least 40 dead and 60 injured, according to RT.
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The first blast came from a parked auto, authorities said, followed by an explosives-laden vehicle driven by a suicide bomber. The mall is located across the oil ministry office.
No group has claimed responsibility but Iraqi officials warned the group “Islamic State” (IS) has become increasingly desperate as it loses ground. However, recent reports suggest that both attackers detonated vehicle bombs.
No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the assaults yet, but such incidents are usually blamed on the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group.
The blasts were the latest in a series of deadly attacks at Baghdad shopping centres this year, including one that killed more than 300 people in early July. Daesh has been mostly active in the northern and western regions of Iraq, but this latest attack demonstrates their continued ability to reach into other parts of the country, including Baghdad itself.
The militants have lost ground in the past year to USA -backed Iraqi government forces and Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias, but such bombings show they can still strike outside the territory they control in northern and western Iraq.
The blasts, which hit just before midnight on Friday, shattered windows at the multi-storey mall and damaged a fence surrounding it.
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The markets were busy preparing for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which begins next week.
