At least 28 people were killed by a car-bomb in Baghdad’s predominantly-Shia Sadr City district on Wednesday, the Iraqi army has said.
Advertisement
The massive blast occurred in the morning when a booby-trapped auto went off at a popular outdoor market in the Shiite bastion of Sadr City district, the source said.
Shortly after the explosion, one of the deadliest recently in the Iraqi capital, the Sunni extremist group – which sees Shiite Muslims as apostates – said it was behind the assault.
Amaq news agency, which supports Islamic State, said a suicide bomber had targeted Shi’ite militia fighters.
The explosion damaged nearby buildings and other vehicles.
Four medical officials confirmed the casualty figures.
But the jihadists still control a large part of western Iraq, and are able to carry out frequent bombings in government-held areas.
An additional 87 people were injured in the attack in the largely Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City.
Advertisement
Iraq is now witnessing a wave of violence since the Islamic State (IS) group took control of parts of Iraq’s northern and western regions in June 2014. A total of 1,374 Iraqis were wounded that month, UNAMI said.
