Baghdad police say foiled attack by 3 suicide bombers
Representational photo.
Jalil al-Rubaie, commander of the Interior Ministry’s Baghdad Operations, said in a statement that a joint force of police and intelligence teams trapped the trio in Radwaniya, west of Baghdad, killing one and arresting the other two. He said they were all donning explosive belts.
The announcement comes hours after a deadly attack on Habibiya, at the eastern Baghdad al-Sadr city, which killed and wounded 65.
Violence surged in Iraq with the emergence of Islamic State militants who took over large areas of the country in 2014. Baghdad has been witnessing almost daily bombings targeting civilians and security personnel.
IS militants have said they had been responsible for several bloody explosions and attacks that hit the capital in the past months, bringing the governorate municipal and security officials under critics’ fire.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said violence in the country left nearly 382 dead, including security members, and 908 injured during January. Baghdad was the most affected province with 128 deaths and 444 injuries, according to the organization.
Observers believe Islamic State have begun to escalate attacks outside the city of Mosul, where the group has been losing ground and personnel since October, so as to relieve pressure by government forces on that front and to divert attention from group losses.